Don Milburn, 87, of Grinnell, died Saturday, Mar. 17, 2018, at St. Francis Manor in Grinnell. A memorial service was held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Mar. 20, at the Grinnell United Methodist Church with the Rev. Dave Crow officiating. Interment will be held at a later date at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. Memorials may be designated to the St. Francis Manor Foundation and mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112. Memories and condolences may be shared with Don’s family online at www.smithfh.com.
Donald William Milburn was born Feb. 26, 1931, in Grinnell, to Omar William and Bernice Leona (Johnson) Milburn. He was raised near Grinnell and graduated from Grinnell High School with the Class of 1949.
Don was united in marriage to Olive Joan Grosvenor on Mar. 23, 1952, in Newton. The couple was blessed with three sons: David, John, and Richard. Don worked at grocery stores in Newton and Grinnell. They moved to Grinnell in 1958, and Don was the meat manager at United until 1964. During that time, they raised their family primarily in Grinnell. They owned and operated Milburn’s Furniture from 1964 until 1984. Don later worked for Maytag in Newton from 1987 until his retirement in 1996. Don was a longtime member of Grinnell United Methodist Church and Grinnell Kiwanis Club.
Don was a family man, a man of faith, and an outdoorsman. He was an excellent cook, and the holidays were always bountiful with his amazing spread of foods for his family to enjoy. He was an avid hunter and cherished the times his family would join him hunting deer and wild turkey. Don will be remembered as a loving husband, father, and grandfather, always being a great friend to many, and for his fun-loving, kind, gentle way.
Don is survived by his wife of 66 years, Joan Milburn of Grinnell; his sons, David (Penny) Milburn of Johnson and John Milburn of Des Moines; his daughter-in-law, Colleen Milburn of DeSoto; five grandchildren, Jason, Mark, Andrew, and Ryan Milburn, and Mallory (Matt) Gaul; four great- grandchildren, Riley and Xia Milburn and Harrison and Hannah Gaul; and siblings, Joyce (Dick) Capps of Waterloo, Larry (Kathy) Milburn of Newton, and Gary (Shirley) Milburn of Grinnell. He was preceded in death by his parents; son, Dick Milburn; and siblings, Dale and James Milburn, Wanda White, Beverly Deutsch, and Joan Sievers.
