Donald Lee Conrad

Donald Lee Conrad, 83, of Mishawaka, passed away Saturday morning, June 9, 2018. Don was born on September 10, 1934, to Harold and Viola (Zellmer) Conrad.  He attended Madison School where he graduated in 1952. On May 8, 1955, he married Sally Battles.

Don lived his entire life in the Mishawaka and Wyatt area. He spent three decades working for the St. Joe County Highway Dept. from which he retired in 2000. His true passion, however, was farming. Don found tremendous happiness in sowing and harvesting his crops and caring for his livestock. Simple things like fishing, cruising rural roads, indulging in his wife’s amazing desserts or his favorite Butter Pecan ice cream, right from the container, brought him great satisfaction. His favorite pastimes included bowling, going to ND Women’s Basketball games, strolling around the 4-H fair, attending farm auctions, playing cards in his euchre club, and socializing with friends at Woodland Inn. He also enjoyed sitting on his swing at the farm, just watching cars go by – hoping someone would pull in to buy some hay or help him split firewood.

Don’s surviving family includes his four daughters, Kathy (Kelvin) Minix of Bremen, Kandy (Phil) Schumacher of Cassopolis, Karen (Mark) Rees of Rochester and Julie (Kevin) Schmidt of Bremen. He was “Poppy” to four grandchildren, Kaylie (Jeff) Parry, Matthew Minix, Emma Schmidt and Corey Schmidt; and three great grandsons, Jackson, Jacob and Jared. He is also survived by two sisters, Dolores Smith and Carol Middlebrook, both of Elkhart, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, and brother, Roger.

Don will be remembered for his unwavering strength, hard work, integrity, honesty, passion for farming and those baby blue eyes.

Private family services will be held in Goethals & Wells Funeral Home, Mishawaka. Burial will follow in Ferrisville Cemetery. Per Don’s wishes, there will be no public visitation.

Memorial contributions are suggested to the charity of the donor’s choice.