Donald E. Myers
May 5, 1933 - April 29, 2021

A family celebration of life will be held Saturday, May 22, for 87-year-old Donald Eugene Myers of Algona, Iowa, who passed away Thursday, April 29, 2021, at the Good Samaritan Center in Algona with his family at bedside.

Don was born May 5, 1933, in Algona to Eugene and Lucy Myers of Algona. Don was schooled at St. Cecelia's in Algona. During World War II, the family moved to Leonore, Ill., where his father worked in shipbuilding. He attended an Algona-Clarion football game with friends and met his future wife, Kathryn Hutchins of Algona. In March of 1955, he was inducted into the U.S. Army training in Arkansas for basic, and further trained in Texas and Louisiana. When he was home on leave, on Dec. 27, 1955, he married Kathryn and shortly thereafter received orders for duty in Germany for one year.

Don Myers grew up in the Great Depression; he and his family greatly enjoyed fishing, hunting and trapping. Don and his uncle, Bill Myers, and father Gene sheared sheep in the region for extra money, and in those contacts with farm families were able to strike up good hunting and trapping arrangements with farmers to rid them of the animals taking farm livestock. They were very welcomed for their efforts. Don's last memorable coyote hunt was when he was 85 and with his son Brian, son-in-law Bob Pedersen and grandson Jason Pedersen, taking six coyotes, and Don got one of them.

Before and after his military service in Germany, Don worked at Universal Manufacturing, later Algona Food Engineering and on to Hormel in Knoxville, Iowa. He grounded back in Algona and worked at Lauridsen Foods of Britt, all in equipment and facilities maintenance.

He was a member of the First Congregational Church. He was an assistant scout master in Boy Scout Troop 70, for which he led a group of scouts on several 25-mile bike rides before a 50-mile ride for a merit badge; and attended camp-outs, including the first on the then-much-larger island at Smith Lake. Don was a master at creating Halloween costumes thought up by Kathryn. He later took up wood carving and made several cardinals, and ducks on display at family homes. It was a family treat to have his carved Santas, and special fishing lures the "Don Myers Perchie and Frogs."

Don was a great explorer of the world. Family, friends and children traveled to many places to hunt and fish with him - always new places to find. Summer work shutdowns allowed the family up to a month to travel. A great train trip was to Montana and off to Seattle to see Kathryn's brother and sister-in-law, Russ and Elaine Hutchins. Every summer the family traveled to Minnesota to visit Kathryn's other brother, Carol, and wife Edna Hutchins - always fun on the farm and lots of ticks.

He and Kathryn later in life took up dancing and enjoyed going to wedding, anniversary and birthday parties with great friends along the way. They learned polka dancing and went to Chisholm, Minn., for a couple of celebrations at the Polka Fest, and to Humboldt, New Ulm and even the Milwaukee Germanfest with son Mark and his girlfriend Julie.

Don Myers is survived by his wife of 65 years, Kathryn (Hutchins) Myers, daughter of the late Carl and Ella Hutchins of Algona; son Mark (Julie) Myers of Plymouth, Minn.; daughter Susan (Myers) and husband Robert Pedersen of Lu Verne, Iowa; and youngest son Brian and wife Treva (Weier) Myers of West Des Moines, Iowa. He is also survived by grandchildren, Jason Pedersen and wife Callie of Waverly, Iowa; Jamie (Pedersen) Brissey and husband Matt of Burlington, Iowa; Logan Myers and friend Gentry of Des Moines and Landan Myers of Alleman, Iowa. Don and Kathryn also have four great-grandchildren, Lexi, Aubrey, Brody and Jaxon Pedersen, all of Waverly.

Don was preceded in death by parents Eugene and Lucy Myers of Algona, sister Ruth Braddock, and brothers Jack "Butch" and Wayne Myers.

He donated his body to Mayo Clinic of Rochester, Minn., following many years of specialized treatment since 1998 for non-Hodgkins lymphoma cancer.

The family would like to thank the medical staff of the Algona ambulance service, police department, Algona hospital and hospice care during Don's care in the weeks before being attended by the caring staff at the Good Samaritan Center in Algona. Special thanks to Pastor Chris Burtnett of the First Congregational Church in Algona, who drove Kathryn and Don to hospital care and home from Mason City and presided as co-officiant with Joe Bartolo of Good Sam during a bedside memorial including staff following Don's passing Thursday morning, April 29. Special thanks to all who served our family needs during this time.

Oakcrest Funeral Services of Algona is serving the family.

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