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Don R. Luhmann, 95, of Otho, passed away on Friday, August 14, 2026 at his home surrounded by his family.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, August 19th at 3:00 PM in the Chapel of the Laufersweiler Funeral Home with Military Rites to follow by the V.F.W. Post 1856 and the U.S. Navy Honor Guard. Visitation will be on Wednesday from 1:00 to 3:00 PM at the funeral home.
Don is survived by his wife of 70 years, Katherine Luhmann of Otho; his children, Steve Luhmann of Ames, Carol Knapp of Fort Dodge, Janet Brautigam of Eagan, MN, Pam (Britt) Shelton of Panora, Sarah (Mark) Dellachiesa of Polk City, Paul (Denise) Luhmann of Lehigh, and Brian Luhmann of Raymore, MO; 11 grandchildren, Ben, Aubrey, Serraya, Savanna, Sonna, Brandon, Weston, Alyssa, Kadin, Dustin, and Laurel; and 16 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Otto and Mildred (Lundberg) Luhmann; his brothers, Bruce and Larry Luhmann; and his sister, Mary Kaufman.
Don Raymond Luhmann was born May 27, 1931, in Dayton, Iowa. He attended Burnside Consolidated School before his family moved to a farm near Blairsburg, where he graduated from high school.
Don was drafted into the U.S. Navy and served for eight years, including four years of active duty and four years in the active reserves. He served aboard the destroyer USS Heermann (DD-532), one of the ships to survive the Battle of Leyte Gulf in the Philippine Sea. The Heermann was later called back into service during the Korean Campaign, where Don served as a Metalsmith Second Class. He also spent time in the Marshall Islands during the testing of the hydrogen bomb. Don attended metalsmith school, earned a First Class Welder rating, and was honorably discharged in 1957.
On November 26, 1955, Don married Katherine Joyce Buckles. Together they made their home on a farm just south of Otho, where they raised their seven children.
Providing for a large family meant Don was rarely short on work. He farmed, raised hogs, worked on boats, and worked full-time as a switchman for the Illinois Central Railroad until retiring from the railroad at age 58. Don continued farming until he was 82.
The couple enjoyed camping across the country, spending time with family at Twin Lakes and making their annual trip to the Iowa State Fair. Don also enjoyed snowmobile trips with his friends, but perhaps more than anything, he loved making people laugh and rarely missed an opportunity to do so.
Memorials may be left to the discretion of the family.