Donald Edward Monroe

Donald Edward Monroe was born in the suburbs of Louisville, Kentucky on July 10, 1941. He received his Bachelor’s Degree from University of Kentucky, and was a proud fan of their sports teams, especially their storied basketball team, for the rest of his life. He served as a communications officer in Thailand during the Vietnam War and taught English in Japan shortly after the war. On his return to the states, he was recruited by the National Security Agency and moved to Laurel, MD to work for the NSA at Fort Meade. It was here where he met his future wife, Mary Claire Monroe, at a dance. Don and Claire were married on February 13, 1972 and lived in Catonsville, MD. They had their first son, Christopher Patrick Monroe on October 28, 1974, and their second son, Michael Scott Monroe, on December 3, 1976. Don was a devoted family man and loyal employee who enjoyed serving his country behind the scenes during the Cold War. He moved to a town called Harrogate in England with his family in 1978 for NSA work purposes and they lived there until 1981, when they returned to Catonsville. He received the highest possible civilian honor given by the United States Military. Don worked for the NSA, proudly serving his country, until he retired in 2007 and lived in Chester, MD with his wife, where he enjoyed boating and photography. He enjoyed travelling throughout his life and on November 2, 2019, he took his final journey, leaving behind his wife, two sons, two daughters-in-law Nicole and Cristin, seven grandchildren Chloe, Layla, Brady, Dylan, Tyler, Jameson, and Charlie, and a wonderful legacy of love of family and service to his country.