Don Hallum, DDS: Service Feb. 14 for longtime Edmonds resident, beloved dentist

Don Marsh Hallum, DDS
Dec 10, 1934 – Jan. 20, 2026

Don Marsh Hallum, long-time Edmonds resident and beloved dentist, passed away peacefully surrounded by his loving family. He was a hardworking, faithful, and humble man. He practiced dentistry for 40 years, always keeping the comfort of his patients a top priority.

Don graduated from Franklin High School and received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Washington. His passion was for fishing and being on the waters. He enjoyed family, skiing, hiking, boating, going to the movies, and travelling. He was an avid UW and Seahawk fan.

He was preceded in death by his parents June Marsh and Jerome Hallum, and brother Eugene. He is survived by Kathleen, his loving wife of 69 years, her sister Sylvia Mistry, sons Michael (LoAnn), Rob (Kelly), and Jeffrey (Sonja) and daughter Jennifer (Eric) Fletcher; 3 nieces, 10 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

Don was a long and faithful attendee of Edmonds United Methodist Church where his service will be held on Saturday, February 14 at 11:00 am. All are welcome. Memorial gifts may be made to your local food bank.

The following is a personal biography that he composed a few years ago which provides enjoyable insight into his wonderful life!

Don’s Life Story 

Both Kathleen and I are Seattle natives, a relatively rare breed. I grew up in Madison Park across the street from Lake Washington, My family consisted of Mom, Dad and me, with brother Gene arriving 8 years later. My best friend was Artie. We both attended McGilvra Grade School.

My Dad had our 2 story with a basement house built. It is still there, 1625 43rd Ave. E. You can find it on Google.

The Lake was our playground. Manv hours in summer were spent swimming. We fished for crappie under the covered boat house across the street where the fish hid out under the boats. Artie and were very competitive (and still are). At that time there was a ferry from the foot of E. Madison Street to Kirkland. It carried regular passengers, cars and workers for a shipyard in Kirkland. Artie and I, wearing our fins and masks, swam to the ferry, treaded water and called out, “Penny, nickel, dime — get it every time.” The passengers would toss coins and we would get most of them.

When I reached the 9th grade my Dad decided we should move. We moved to a home on the Lake, just north of Mt. Baker beach park. I started attending Franklin High School. We moved again to a house on 31st Ave. S., a couple blocks from the high school.

While at Franklin, I played on the tennis team. I was also editor of The Tolo, a weekly newspaper. I was a member of the honor society. During high school I worked part time delivering groceries. I worked at Boeing during the Summer between high school and college.

After high school, I attended the University of Washington. While there I pledged a fraternity, going through ‘hell week” as a freshman pledge. We weren’t forced to drink alcohol, but did a lot of silly, embarrassing things, and got a lot of paddlings.

I was an undergrad in the pre-dental program for 3 years. Kathleen and I were married the spring before I entered the UW Dental School. We had 2 children during my 4 years there. My childhood friend, Artie, and I met again, both being Dental students. We graduated together in 1960. I began my practice in Edmonds and Artie in Shoreline.

Artie and I have continued to have great times together. We have done a lot of salmon fishing in Puget Sound. We have fished in the San Juan River on Vancouver Island for steelhead (a large trout). We caught many, many fish, keeping most of them. Now I think we should have released most of them because we and others from Washington have taken too many fish that would have spawned.

Besides fishing, there have been many other good times. We have boated all over the San Juans. Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound. We have taken some wonderful trips to Europe, Africa, South America. the Galapagos, Asia. We had a beach cabin for 48 years. This cabin is now being bought by one of our sons, so remains in the family.

We have spent many hours on the ski slopes. We have gone to some great US ski meccas in Idaho (Sun Valley), Utah and Colorado. We now spend 4+ months every winter in Phoenix.

I practiced dentistry in the same location on Edmonds Way for 40 years. Kathleen was my office manager for the last 20+ years. We decided 40 years was enough. I was 65, eligible for Social Security and Medicare so we retired in 2000. We spent most of that first year of freedom away from Edmonds. traveling and boating.

Wife Kathleen and I have 4 children, 3 boys and 1 girl. We also have 10 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Most of the family is in the Northwest. 3 of the kids are in the Edmonds/Everett area. One boy lives in Olympia where his wife, an attorney, is a policy advisor to our governor. The grandchildren are starting to branch out, 1 family is in Texas, 2 grandchildren are New York. All of the kids, grandkids are doing great and we are very proud of them.

We started attending EUMC in 1961. We had 3 children at that time and they were baptized by Rev. Robert Hicks, who had married us at Sandpoint Methodist Church. The 4th child was baptized later. Kathleen was also baptized here. We have been coming to this church for most of the years since. We did attend Central Lutheran in Seattle while Kathleen was a paid soloist there. We also went to Ronald Methodist for a year or so. We came back to EUMC for good in 1987.

As we now spend winters in Phoenix, we attend Paradise Valley United Methodist. We feel that is our second church home.

I enjoy my work in the Food Bank, where have made many friends. I also enjoy my time here in the Dawn Patrol. Kathleen and I go to the Pastor’s Bible study at PVUMC and I meet with a men’s weekly breakfast group there. Outside of church I enjoy Husky football games, movies, plays, reading and napping whenever possible!

LIFE IS GOOD!

He was loved very much by his family, and his by friends as well. This love of his family, and especially his wife Kathy, was apparent to all. He had a great sense of humor — albeit somewhat goofy at times — and his children inherited this trait!

He set a great example of how to live and how to enjoy life to the fullest because he knew that “LIFE IS GOOD!”

He is and will be missed.

An important side note: he was born when Donald Duck was born and he was very proud of that fact.