Donald Ray French 1930 - 2011

FRENCH, CAIN, BAKER

Posted By: Connie Swearingen-Volunteer (email)
Date: 4/8/2014 at 20:25:17

Sioux Valley
25 May 2011

Donald R. French, 80, of Le Mars, Iowa, formerly of Correctionville, Iowa, passed away on Saturday, July 2, 2011 at Brentwood Good Samaritan Village in Le Mars.

Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 9, 2011 at St. James Catholic Church in Le Mars. Father Matt Hewitt will celebrate Mass. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Le Mars.

The Rosary was recited at 3:00 p.m. on Friday, July 8, a Scriptural Prayer Service began at 7:00 p.m. with the family present to greet friends from 6-8 p.m. all at the Mauer-Johnson Funeral Home in LeMars. There was also an hour of visitation at the church on Saturday prior to Mass.

Donald Ray French was born on October 17, 1930 in Mc Paul, Iowa to Frank and Lois (Cain) French. He attended high school in Thurman, Iowa, graduating in 1948. On August 12, 1952, Don was inducted into the United States Army. He served during the Korean War until receiving his Honorable Discharge on August 14, 1954 having attained the rank of Corporal. On August 1, 1956 Don and Patricia Baker were united in marriage at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Maryville, Missouri.

Following the war, Don continued his education at Northwest Missouri State University where he received a degree in education in 1955. He later earned his Masters in Education from the University of Nebraska and a Specialist in Education degree from the University of Missouri.
Don served as high school principal at Murray and Correctionville, Iowa. He also owned and operated the French Market and Driftwood Coin Laundry in Correctionville.

Don was a member of St. James Catholic Church in Le Mars. He also belonged to the Floyd Valley Hospital Auxiliary, National Education Association and Mumford-Moon Post #79 of the American Legion in Correctionville. Don was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed quail, partridge and pheasant hunting, fishing and morel hunting. He and his family traveled extensively throughout the United States and visited Canada and Mexico.

He enjoyed reading, was an accomplished bowler and in later years, took up woodworking, especially fretwork.

He will be lovingly remembered by his wife, Pat of Le Mars; a son, Kenneth and his wife Linda of Le Mars, IA; a daughter, Karen Palmer and her husband Bill of Ennis, TX; five grandchildren, Meredith Jorgensen and her husband Jacob of Sioux City, IA, Lora (Palmer) Baker and her husband Gene, Leanne, Steven and Michael Palmer all of Ennis, TX; a sister, Pat Winans Ireland and her husband Don of Rockport, MO; and a niece, Vicki (Winans) Kawakami and her husband Ben of Plano, TX.

He was preceded in death by his parents; mother and father-in-law Margaret and Herbert Baker; brothers-in-law Bill Winans and Paul Baker.