Donald W. Mueller Jr., age 76, of the Town of Larrabee, Waupaca County, passed away during the wee hours of May 6, 2021 of acute respiratory arrest.
Don was born the first of five children to the late Mary Margaret (Warwick) and Donald Wm. Mueller Sr. on June 17, 1944 in Coffeyville, Kansas. He graduated from Appleton High School in 1962 after which he attended UW-Fox Valley. In February 1964 he joined the Army. He proudly served in the Army Security Agency as an electronic warfare specialist after training at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey. He served the remainder of his tour of duty in Germany and returned to Appleton on February 1968 after being honorably discharged. Don will be remembered as a hardworking man who believed in the value of a full day’s work and then some. After returning home from Germany, he became part owner of Christy’s Service in Appleton. In later years Don found success in many types of jobs from electrical to automotive until finally in 1991 Don and Alice (literally) bought-the-farm, the ancestral farm, that is. There he raised beef cattle and sold custom-cut halves and quarters. Saturdays were often spent delivering that beef and turned out to be one of the most enjoyable things he did. Don was a good listener (kinda) and an okay dancer. He counted his cribbage hand faster than most, shot the moon successfully many times in hearts, was proud of the 19 turkeys he bowled and to be able to keep three 1947 Farmall tractors running (kinda). He never thought twice about lending a hand to a neighbor in need. He didn’t get to be an old codger for as long as he wanted.
Donald is survived by his wife of 47 years, Alice of Clintonville; daughters, Holly (Jay Sacco) Blue, of Boston; and Darcy (Marc) Johnson and their children, Claire Celeste, Wylie Robert, and Willa Alice, of Stevens Point. Don is further survived by his brother William “Chris” Mueller of Kassel, Germany; two sisters, Marsha (Mitchell) Sharman of Olympia, Washington and Juneau, Alaska and Pamela Sue Guy also of Juneau, Alaska. Additionally, two brothers-in-law and their families, Gordon (Mary) Neitzke of Appleton and Ralph Neitzke of Martinez, Georgia and sister-in-law, RaNae Bland of Appleton, survive him. His parents, Mary Margaret (Warwick) Mueller and Donald William Mueller, Sr., his brother Robert Wylie Mueller as well as maternal and paternal grandparents preceded him in death.
All are welcome to attend and celebrate Don’s life. A memorial service is scheduled for Don on Wednesday, May 19, 2021 at 11 a.m. with visitation starting at 9 a.m. at Eberhardt-Stevenson Funeral Home in Clintonville. Pastor Dan Thews will officiate, and inurnment will take place at Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in King, WI at a later date. Military honors will be conducted outside of the funeral home following the service by members of the Clintonville American Legion Post #63, VFW Post #664, and American Legion Auxiliary Unit #63. The family would like to thank ThedaCare at Home Hospice for their assistance and guidance. www.eberhardtstevenson.com