OBITUARY: Donald 'Don' Tulloch
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A BELOVED Nairn-born businessman who travelled the world passed away on December 21, aged 86.
Donald ‘Don’ Tulloch wasn’t a particularly large man, but he did leave a rather sizeable “footprint” on the planet. Born at Ruthven, Nairn on October 14, 1936, Don’s 86 years on Earth spanned four continents before he passed, a world away, in Spokane, WA on December 21, 2022.
Donald was born the seventh son of a seventh son (not to mention two sisters) – which, according to folklore, means he was born with the ability to see the future. We are not sure if he possessed this power, but his future was definitely a “sight to see.”
Growing up in Scotland, it was Don’s dream to become a doctor. Reality, however, was that his working-class family could not afford to send him to university. Instead, he became an apprentice and then a journeyman to the local stone mason.
Although an M.D. degree eluded him, his family nickname, “Dr. Donald” somehow stuck. Later in life, even though he accumulated vast experience in various vocations, Don proudly claimed, “Everything I learned that was important, I learned from 'Delnies' (the small two room primary school he and his siblings attended)." Don eventually joined the family business (A Tulloch & Sons /Tulloch Group), working alongside his brothers and father in a diverse mix of endeavours, including sawmills, house building, haulage and undertaking.
In 1961 Don married Julia, the mother of his three daughters, Julie, Susan and Fiona. Filled with the entrepreneurial spirit, and the urge to “spread his wings,” Don, with Julia at his side, emigrated to South Africa in 1966 – first landing in Johannesburg before finally settling in Vanderbijlpark. Staked by a loan from his brothers, Don purchased “Old Bella” – a Cat 95 dozer, which Don affectionately dubbed “The ‘Machinery’ Love of My Life.” Along with “Old Bella,” Don embarked on a groundworks and civil engineering career, culminating in projects with South African energy company Sasol, and a deep-water reclamation project in the North Sea for McDermotts International.
It seemed Don was always hard at work. And when he wasn’t using muscle and grit, he was flexing his brain. While in South Africa he designed, prototyped and patented a corn-picking machine (sadly, it never went into production). He pioneered the first particle/OSB board plant in the UK, and he also designed and built a concrete plant in Saudi Arabia (he even has a picture dining with one of the royal princes to prove it.)
Donald ultimately engineered the sale of the family business to United Kingdom-based Alfred McAlpine, where he continued with the company as a member of the corporate board of directors.
Retire? Not with other continents to conquer!
In 1996 Don started working with a local Silver Valley, Idaho company, where he could apply his expertise in both earthworks and land reclamation and remediation. Ultimately, when he was asked to become CEO, he and Julia decided to add North America to their continental resume.
Sadly, after a battle with cancer, Don’s wife Julia passed away in 2000. The end of a chapter, but not the end of the story.
Never a man to pass up interesting opportunities, Don made the most of his time in North America by developing oil wells in Wyoming and working on cutting-edge waste to energy plants and mobile water purification units.
Don’s journey took another fateful turn when one Saturday he decided to get out of the house. He ended up at Carlin Bay Resort, an infamous Lake Coeur d’Alene “haunt” featuring live music and dancing. Don became a frequent patron at Carlin Bay, eventually befriending Don and Carol Swenson, also members of the Carlin Bay faithful. Donald, with his “Sean Connery” accent, was an instant hit with the Swensons, who decided their sister-in-law, Janice, might like to meet this mystery man from Scotland. Needless to say, the couple “hit it off.” And in February 2002, Janice Swensen became Janice Tulloch.
Donald’s brother Will was his best man. Will and a bunch of their UK friends flew in for the wedding, and to the delight of the attendees, all the men wore genuine Scottish kilts. Surrounded by children and grandchildren, the couple spent 20 years together – either at Donald’s home overlooking Lake Coeur d’Alene, or Janice’s place on Spokane’s South Hill. Don was an incredible man who was so well loved by all that met him. It was impossible to resist his charm, complete with a warm, welcoming smile and irresistible Scottish accent.
Driven by diverse interests and an incurable curiosity, Don was constantly researching and learning (plus the grandkids kept him “up to speed” with the latest technology and trends). And when he “sunk his teeth” into something, he seemed to have boundless energy. Yet throughout all his personal, business and intellectual journeys, he always managed to keep up-to-the-minute with his boyhood football team, the Glasgow Rangers.
There’s no question Don had a wonderful life, full of adventure, surrounded by the people he loved and who loved him. The kid from Nairn, would eventually set foot on the shores of multiple countries, in several continents, and walk among masons, CEOs, roughnecks and royalty.
Donald “Don” Tulloch is survived by his wife Janice, as well as his daughters Julie, Susan and Fiona, son-in-law Gavin and grandchildren Thomas, Donald, Emily, Lewis and Beth – with whom he had an incredible bond.
A service was held at Central Lutheran Spokane, WA at 11am on Saturday, January 21, followed by a reception from 2-4pm at the Hayden Lake Country Club, Hayden Lake, ID.
