Donatien (Don) Wa Kabasele Mulamba, 79, of Rockledge, Florida, went home to be with the Lord on Friday, March 31, 2023.

Don was born on December 15, 1943 to Kabasele Paul Wa Ntumba and Louise Hakutshimuena Wa Ntumba in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He lived in Newport News, Virginia for almost 20 years and attended Warwick River Mennonite Church with his wife and children before retiring and relocating to Florida in 2016.

Sponsored by American Methodist & Presbyterian Missions, he completed his high school studies at "L'École Secondaire Unie de Katubue" in the province of Kasai in the DRC, where he received a full-ride scholarship to study in the United States in 1965. He attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Marquette University where he received Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Civil Engineering, respectively.

After returning to the DRC at the end of his studies, he worked with several major organizations, including the National Electrical Company (SNEL) as a Civil Engineer. Later, he worked as Chief Engineer at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Kinshasa. In this role, he served in major national development projects throughout the DRC, namely the Hydroelectric Inga Dam, which is connected to Inga Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in the world. Throughout his professional career, he worked part-time as faculty at Les Instituts du Bâtiment et des Travaux Publics (IBTP). It was here that he taught subjects in Civil Engineering for a small civil servant pay because of his love of teaching and his desire to grow a talent pipeline of engineers to help build his beloved country DRC. He was a selfless man who believed in serving others before serving himself.

He also had an opportunity to work in the country of Botswana as Principal Roads Engineer at the Ministry of Transport where he provided direction for the construction of the road infrastructure linking that nation's villages and major towns that were critical for commerce.

He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Thérèse Kanku Mulamba; his 4 sons: John (Heather) of Smyrna, GA, Paul (Mathy) of Cypress, TX, Leon (Junie) of Dacula, GA, Rudy of Rockledge, FL; his 4 daughters: Rebecca (Hartley) of Regina SK Canada, Nicole (Jimmy) of Las Vegas, NV, Betty (Erick) of Washington DC, Anna (Malcom) of National Harbor, MD; and his 15 grand-children: Stuart, Andrew, Fadih-Grace, Amaziah, Victoriah, Erelah, Genesis, Samantha, Jacob, Agnes, Abigail, James, Zoë, Amari, and Ares.

Don loved his family and his extended family. He referred to many of his cousins and close friends as his brothers and sisters, leading people to believe that he had many siblings.

Visitation will be from 6 to 7 PM Saturday, April 15, 2023 at W. J. Smith & Son Funeral Home. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 AM Sunday, April 16, 2023 in the funeral home chapel. Burial will follow at Warwick River Mennonite Church Cemetery.

Come healthy; masks are recommended and will be available.