Donald Henry Voll-stedt, 86, Bloomington, and more recently of LeRoy, went home to live with his lord and savior at 1:10 a.m. Thursday (Sept. 22, 2011) in LeRoy.

Don’s memorial service will be at 11 a.m. Monday at LeRoy Christian Church, 106 S. East St., LeRoy, with Brother Sam Eddy officiating and music provided by organist Madelyn Bock and soloist Nancy Spratt.

Burial will follow at East Lawn Memorial Gardens in Bloomington, with full military rites accorded.

Memorial gifts may be made to LeRoy Christian Church or to Little Galilee Christian Camp.

Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Calvert & Metzler Memorial Home, Bloomington, and from 10 until 11 a.m. Monday at LeRoy Christian Church.

Don was born Aug. 13, 1925, in Davenport, Iowa, son of Henry C. and Fern Radech Vollstedt.

Don was married to Helen Louise Laird Vollstedt on Jan. 27, 1950, and she preceded him in death on April 11, 1981. After Helen’s death, on Oct. 15, 1981, he was married to Marie Clesson Crump Vollstedt who passed away Feb. 25, 2008.

Survivors include his sons, Tim (Linda) Voll-stedt, LeRoy; Mark (Kathy) Vollstedt, Bloomington; David (Pat) Vollstedt, DeKalb; and Philip (Karen) Vollstedt, Brownsville, Pa.; a daughter, Jan Jensen, Washington, D.C.; seven grandchildren, John Vollstedt, Scott Ochoa, Nathan Vollstedt, John Ghazal, Chad Ghazal, Jennifer Vollstedt and Samuel Vollstedt; three great-grandchildren, Christian Vollstedt, Nicole Glazer and Isabella Ochoa; brother, Jim Vollstedt, Silver Spring, Md.; sister, Jean (Bill) Williams, Sacramento, Calif.; and stepdaughters, Linda (John) Callison, Mansfield, Texas, and Marcia (John) Gudeman, Phoenix, Ariz.

Along with his beloved wives, Don was preceded in death by his parents; a daughter, Becky; a granddaughter, Khadijah; and two brothers, John and Dick.

Don grew up in Danville, graduating from Danville High School, where he was a childhood friend of Dick Van Dyke. A highly decorated World War II Coast Guard veteran, Don served in the Merchant Marine seeing considerable action. He was “in the water” twice when ships he was aboard were sunk by enemy fire. Don was also a retiree from the railroad with nearly 40 years of service. He was a member of LeRoy Christian Church, the area Christian Men’s Fellowship and American Legion Post 79, LeRoy.

But above all, Don was a Christian and preacher of the Gospel. Receiving a degree from then Lincoln Bible Institute, he held ministries at Texas Christian Church, rural Clinton; San Jose Christian Church, San Jose; Hooton Church of Christ, Danville; Gridley Christian Church, Gridley; and First Christian Church in Pontiac. In the late 1970s, Don moved most of his family to Australia where he held a circuit ministry with three different churches. After a few difficult years battling dementia, Don was more than ready to go home to heaven. Many thanks go to the nurses and dedicated staff at LeRoy Manor, which was his home since July of 2007.

Don was an active Christian and a dedicated servant of the Lord Jesus Christ until the very end. He fought the good fight and he finished the course.

Dewitt Obits

Donald Henry Voll-stedt of Bloomington