Donald D. Myers

January 23, 2021

Service Details

Donald Myers, age 94, passed away Saturday, January 23, 2021. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m., with funeral service at 9:30 a.m., Thursday, January 28, 2021 at Hamilton’s Funeral Home, 605 Lyon Street, Des Moines. Burial will follow at Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Van Meter at 11 a.m. Guests may attended the service virtually through a Zoom link available HERE (Meeting ID: 954 1169 3132 Password: 837694).

Donald Dean Myers was born May 27, 1926 to parents Dexter Dean Myers and Chiquita Faye Opp in Cambria, Iowa. He attended Cambria Consolidated School and graduated in 1943. He was active in sports, mainly basketball and track.

After graduation at age 17, he joined the U.S. Navy. After boot camp and amphibious training he was assigned to the LST 828. This was an amphibious landing ship used for invading islands and landing troops.

He participated in several operations including the invasion of Okinawa and the Philippines. At the end of the war, they picked up troops for the occupation of Japan Proper. The LST 828 was one of the first ships to arrive at Nagasaki, where the atomic bomb hit. After serving almost two years in the south pacific, he was discharged in June 1946.

He attended AIB Business College and graduated in 1947. Upon graduation he was employed by 3E (Electrical Engineering & Equipment) where he was a sales rep for 45 years. That is where he met his future wife, June Ann Harvey, who he married April 7, 1950.

He was called back to the Navy for two more years in 1950 for the Korean War. June joined Don where he was stationed in Great Lakes Navy Station. In 1952 they returned home to Des Moines and started a family. Five children were born over the next 12 years.

While the children were growing up, they did a lot of traveling and camping. He was a very caring and loving man, and he took care of June for many years when she got sick. He was very generous and always helped his children out whenever they needed him. He was also very handy and could build or fix anything. He loved to be outdoors and enjoyed his vegetable and flower gardens. He loved his many dogs and he favored the weiner breed for some reason! He loved his Angel fish too! He always enjoyed a good steak and a cold beer or martini.

After Don retired from 3E in 1992, he and June spent a lot of their time at their lake home in Panorama. He enjoyed golf, boating and fishing.

Those left to mourn his passing include his brother, George Edwin (Bev) Myers; his five children, Douglas Myers of California, Randall (Carmen) Myers of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Lori Schuster of Urbandale, IA, Cynthia Lyon (Jeff) of Waxahachie, TX, Pam Payne of Euless, TX; thirteen grandchildren; twelve great-grandchildren; several nieces, nephews, other family and special friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Glendoris Coswell.

Contributions can be made to the American Heart Association.

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