Donald J. Welty

Donald J. Welty, 94, of Iowa Falls, passed away Thursday, March 26, 2026 at Hansen Family Hospital. A memorial service will be held at 1:30 PM on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at the First United Methodist Church in Iowa Falls. He will be laid to rest with a private family inurnment at the Sunnyside Cemetery in Milton. For those planning an expression of sympathy you may wish to consider memorials to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or to Care Initiatives Hospice. Woodley Funeral Home and Crematory of Iowa Falls is caring for Don and his family. Donald Jay Welty was born on January 27, 1932 to John Jay and Mary (Pippinger) Welty in Nappanee, Indiana. He attended high school in Nappanee, then served his country in the military. Don drove a semi-truck beginning at age 15, then went to work for Motor Vehicle Enforcement for the Iowa DOT until retirement. He continued driving for Hoelscher Ag during retirement, being the designated “parker” of equipment at the fairs. However, last week he decided the he was not old enough to drive for “ice road trucking”. Don married Vera Ann Miller Hendricks on February 26, 1966. They made their home in rural Popejoy where they developed a deep connection with the community before moving to Iowa Falls. After Don retired, they joined NOMADS, a Christian non-profit organization that helps build and repair homes for families. Every winter for 25 years, they would drive to Texas where he enjoyed riding his tricycle. Don enjoyed sharing coffee and stories with all of his family and friends everywhere he went. Fishing, traveling and golfing were some of their pastime enjoyments. Don spent many Wednesdays at McDonalds in Iowa Falls with his friends over coffee and fun conversations. Don is survived by his wife of 60 years, Vera; three children from his first marriage: Donald “Butch”, Victoria (Jerry) and Melody; Don & Vera’s son, Keith (Lisa) and Vera’s children: Belinda (John), Brenda (Dave), Bonnie (Dave) and Brent (Ana); nineteen grandchildren, twenty four great-grandchildren and one great-great grandchild. He is also survived by his sisters, Joyce and Maxine. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister, Arlene and son-in-law, Carl.

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Donald J. Welty

January 27, 1932 - March 26, 2026