Donald R. Soeken

Donald Ray Soeken, loving husband, father, grandfather, and brother, was born 28 December 1941 in Lyons, Kansas, to Raymond and Leota (Galliart) Soeken and died at his home in Ellicott City, Maryland, on 21 November 2025. Don attended Valparaiso University where he graduated from the Youth Leadership Training Program majoring in theology. The University later awarded him the Alumni Achievement Award. He received a Master of Social Work (MSW) from Wayne State University and completed the Post Master’s Degree Training Program in Psychiatric Social Work at The Menninger Foundation. He also earned a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in Human Development.

In 1967 Don joined the Commissioned Officer Corp of the U.S. Public Health Service. He served at the Mental Health Study Center in Adelphi, Maryland, and the U.S. Public Health Hospital and St. Elizabeth Hospital, both in Washington, D.C. As a result of conducting psychiatric fitness-for-duty exams, Don found his calling working with whistleblowers. Following his retirement in 1993, Don focused his private practice on whistleblowers, becoming their fierce advocate and providing counseling, support, and expert witness testimony. His Whistlestop farmhouse in West Virginia was a place where whistleblowers often went for respite or stayed rent-free for months if necessary.

Don was a member of the National Association of Social Worker (NASW) that awarded him the Jack Otis Whistleblower Award as well as Pioneer status for his work with whistleblowers. He explored his ancestral heritage and was a Life Member of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia (AHSGR). For several years he served as President of the International Foundation of AHSGR. Don also was active in the Ostfriesland Genealogical Society of America.

Don described himself as a social worker who had been raised on a Kansas farm and taught to uphold moral principles and Biblical teachings. He was a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Laurel where he helped to implement the Stephen Ministry Program. He loved and appreciated land, items made of wood, and beautiful sunsets.

His family and passing on a lasting legacy were more important to Don than his many professional accomplishments. He was extremely proud and supportive of his wife of 60 years Karen (Gienapp) Soeken, his children Jeffrey (Stefanie Ruthenberg) Soeken and Elizabeth (Alberto) Aguilera, and his grandchildren Emily, Henry, and Katherine Soeken and Austin, Evan (Jenna Boardman), and Dylan Aguilera. His siblings Raymond Jr, Mark, Diane Wyatt, and Donetta Birzer, all of Kansas, also survive; brother Richard predeceased him.

A celebration of Don’s life will be held Tuesday, December 2, at 2:00 p.m. at Our Savior Lutheran Church, 13611 Laurel-Bowie Road, Laurel, preceded by visitation from 1-2:00.

Suggestions for contributions in memory of Don:

• Lutheran World Relief, P.O. Box 17061, Baltimore, MD 21297 (lwr.org)
• AHSGR Foundation, 631 D Street, Lincoln NE 68502 (ahsgr.org)
• Government Accountability Project (GAP), 1612 K St, NW, Suite #808, Washington, DC 20006 (whistleblower.org)