Donald Bryant

Donald Bryant, 92, of Marshalltown, Iowa, passed away on the evening of April 22, 2024 at UnityPoint Health Marshalltown with his family at his side.

Services for Donald will be held on Saturday, April 27 at 11:00 A.M. at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home. A visitation for family and friends will be held one hour prior beginning at 10:00 A.M. Memorials in Donald’s name may be directed to his family for a later designation. For additional information or to send a condolence to the family, please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234.

Donald Frederick Bryant was born January 23, 1932 in State Center, Iowa. He was the fourth of six children born to Eldah and Thelma (Buchwald) Bryant. Donald grew up in the Clemons and State Center area, where he went to school until he began working on the family farm alongside his father.

In 1951, he enlisted in the United States Air Force to serve during the Korean War. While in the service, Donald was a jet aircraft mechanic. He was honorably discharged in 1955 and returned home to Iowa.

Donald was first married to Janice Kilker and they were blessed with one son, Lonny. Janice and Donald later divorced. On October 28, 1958, he was united in marriage to Dorothy (Hamiel). From this union, he gained two sons, Tim and Tom Vaughn and together they had another son, Randal. They were married 32 years before Dorothy’s passing in 1990.

Donald was always a hard worker, often having more than one job at a time. In his early years, he worked as a bulk milk truck driver, transporting goods from the farms to the dairy plants. His later jobs included working for Emerson and Central Iowa Farm Store, both in Marshalltown.

Donald was proud veteran and a member of the Marshalltown V.F.W. He traveled to Normandy, wanting to see where the troops landed during WWII. He was also privileged to participate on the Honor Flight to Washington D.C.

Don loved riding motorcycles and was still riding up to the young age of 91. He logged over a million miles on his bike over the years, including two trips to Alaska.

In his free time, he enjoyed watching Westerns and war movies. He also watched “Black Sheep” every Saturday with his friend on the old antenna TV networks. Additionally, he was interested in antique tractors and loved to drive them in the parades.

Those left to cherish his memory are his children: Lonny (Ada) Bryant and Tim Vaughn; his grandchildren: Matt Bryant, Lee (Tiffany) Bryant, Lonny (Kara) Bryant, Andy (Denise) Bryant, Nathan (Hemi) Vaughn, Nicole (Mike) Wilson and Abbey Vaughn; numerous great-grandchildren; his siblings: Violet Collins, Betty Brush, and Dolores Reece; and his special friend, Sharon “Shen” Snyder.

He is preceded in death by his wife Dorothy Bryant, his sons Tom Vaughn and Randal Bryant, daughter-in-law Audrey Vaughn, his parents Eldah and Thelma Bryant, siblings Wayne (Marcella) Bryant and Hollis (Donald) Fisher and three brothers-in-law: Ralph Collins, Glen Brush and Leo Reece.