Obituary of Don Irvin Wortman

After 92 years of a life well-lived life, our beloved Don Irvin Wortman died March 27, 2020. In 1950, Don married his childhood sweetheart, Dorothy Schroeder, whom he had known since they first met in the crib. The two of them grew up together in the small town of Lakota, Iowa. Don was the salutatorian of his high school class … of 11 students. Of course, Dorothy was the valedictorian! Don felt that the most notable achievement of his life was his 69 years of marriage to Dorothy. Most of their adult life was lived in the Washington, DC area, and they cherish the many memories and wonderful friends they had in that area. Upon retiring in 1995, they moved to Albuquerque. Don's personality was infectious, sparkling. He knew instinctively how to make everybody – even strangers – smile. He loved people, all people. He thrived on human interaction. He was energized by every person he encountered. He saw the good in everyone, and he loved without judgment. Blessed with this love of humanity and with the qualities of compassion, integrity, optimism and tremendous vitality, Don lived his entire life in devoted service to his country and to his family & friends. Upon graduation from high school, he immediately enlisted in the U.S. Army and became a base athletics sergeant in Hokkaido, Japan as part of the U.S. occupation of that country. Using the GI Bill, he received his BA from Macalester College and his Master of Public Administration from the Univ. of Minnesota. Don went on to serve his country as a federal government administrator, working 27 years in senior-level executive positions in a variety of federal government agencies. This included 6 years working at the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO, the federal anti-poverty program), where he helped launch Head Start, Upward Bound, and the Community Action Program. (Sargent Shriver, the Director of OEO, was one of Don's favorite bosses.) It also included 2 years at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), where he was Deputy Director for Administration. Don's career culminated in a one-year appointment from 1977-1978 as the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, where he was in charge of 90,000 employees. For more information about his career, see his Wikipedia bio at: "en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_I._Wortman". Over time, Don gained a reputation as one of the federal government's foremost "troubleshooters" – an executive who could quickly taking charge of a fledgling or troubled federal agency, overhaul it, restore employee morale, and mobilize the staff to tackle emerging problems and implement new policies. He was also unique in that, from 1967 until his retirement in 1981, he served in senior-level political appointee positions under both Republican and Democrat presidents. In 1975, President Ford recognized Don for "his meritorious service in the resettlement of Indochinese Refugees in the United States." Don was the epitome of a public servant: someone who deeply cares about the welfare of people and who works hard to ensure that government works for the public good, in an efficient, impartial, and just manner. Don's leadership of various federal government programs and agencies ultimately improved the lives of millions of people throughout the U.S. Don is survived by: his wife Dorothy; son Kirk; son Eric & his wife, Heather; son Greg & his lifetime partner Kathleen Costello; and 2 grandsons and their fiancés, Kyle Wortman & Carly Gonzalez, Ryan Wortman & Adelle Anderson. Don was the younger son of Olga Amundson & Irvin Wortman. His older brother, John, died in 1998 in Bad Homburg, Germany, where John's wife, Eva, still lives; their son, Philipp, & wife, Sigrid, live in Regensburg, Germany. Don's ashes will be interred at Santa Fe National Cemetery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, date to be determined. When health authorities lift the prohibition on large gatherings, we will have a military honors funeral service at the National Cemetery, and we will also have a Celebration of Life service for Don. Arrangements entrusted to: Riverside Funeral Home of Albuquerque 225 San Mateo Blvd. NE (505) 764-9663