Don Poier, a passionate and caring individual

Published 9:00 pm Monday, January 31, 2005

SHORELINE – Don Poier approached his family life the same way he did his professional life.

His method was integrity and enthusiasm. But as great a professional broadcaster as he was, the Snohomish native was an even better father and person.

That much was obvious Monday when hundreds gathered at Calvin Presbyterian Church for Poier’s memorial service.

Poier died Jan. 17 in Denver of an apparent heart attack. He was 53.

The respect Poier had among sports personalities in the Puget Sound area was obvious by their presence. Former University of Washington football coaches Jim Lambright and Keith Gilbertson; Sonics president Wally Walker and former Sonic great Fred Brown were among those in attendance.

Coaches and athletes often have contentious relationships with the media. It wasn’t surprising to me so many that Poier covered made the effort to come to the service. Poier was different from so many of us in the media: He was, above all, a caring man who counted those he covered a friend. When a team played badly, his integrity wouldn’t allow him to hesitate in saying so, but everyone knew it wasn’t personal with him.

Not only did Poier’s professionalism shine through in whatever he did, whether it was being sports anchor for KING-TV or the play-by-play voice of the Vancouver/Memphis Grizzlies, so did his love for what he did.

Poier covered the Grizzlies from their inception. He sat through losing streaks of 19 and 23 games. He had to love it.

“I can’t tell you how many times, 30 seconds before I go on the air, I thank the good Lord above that I get to do what I do,” he was quoted as saying in the latest Sports Illustrated magazine.

My contact with Poier, I regret to say, was minimal. He was too big-time for me to have regular contact with him.

We shook hands before an Apple Cup game in Pullman. He was a big man with a baritone voice we males crave. “Hello, John,” he said, adding that it was nice to meet me.

That was it.

Months later, we bumped into each other before some event and he remembered my name. “Like your stuff,” he said, smiling. And off we went.

What a nice, nice man.

Katie Mutchler, however, let it be known that he was an even nicer father.

Poier’s oldest daughter (he had three daughters, four stepdaughters, a stepson and 10 step-grandchildren), is the daughter every parent prays for. Bravely and resolutely proclaiming her affection for her father – no mean trick, considering the circumstances – Katie said she had no regrets when it came to her relationship with him.

“I told my father how much I loved him, how much I respected him and how much I wanted to be just like him,” she said.

The father/daughter relationship, she said, turned into a genuine, close friendship. “He was my best buddy, my guide and my forever protection,” she said.

Over glasses of wine, Katie, her husband Gary Mutchler and Don would talk hours into the night about life, love and Christian faith. She told the congregation of her father’s love of the phrase “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.”

Katie told of the time, as a young girl, when her father would turn her into a rocket ship and propelled her skyward with the soles of his feet. One time, she landed wrong and broke her arm.

“My dad slept next to me for a week,” she said, “right on the floor, with a pillow and a little, tiny blanket. He was so worried about me and wanted to make sure I was OK, every minute, just like always. That’s the way he was with everyone. He had to make sure we were all OK.”

Katie spoke of her father’s loving relationship with his second wife, Barbara, that she loved their relationship and that she prayed that she can continue that level of love with Gary Mutchler.

“My dad found his soul in Barb,” Katie said. “He adored her. She was his entire world. In so many ways, she was his rock.”

Don Poier, sadly, is gone. He not only leaves his family, but the hundreds of thousands he touched with his words. The media has lost a friend and an example.

“What I wish is to get one more bear hug or to see one last smile,” Katie said.

Don’t we all, Katie. Don’t we all.