Donald J. Gilman

Donald J. Gilman, 84, died Tuesday, March 9, 2010, at his home in Winona, MN. Donald was born October 4, 1925, in Emmetsburg, IA, to Joseph and Rose (Kleiber) Gilman. He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII. Don married Muriel Gjerde on June 17, 1947, in Cylinder, IA. Don was a crop farmer in Iowa and Minnesota. He had also worked for Lindsay Soft Water Co. in St. Paul and with his son-in-law's home construction company, GHK Construction, in Winona. Don was a member of St. Casimir Catholic Church in Winona. He loved to spend time with his family, especially his grandchildren, and loved fishing.Survivors include his wife, Muriel; two daughters, Connie (Larry) Hoppe of Galesville, WI, and Diane Keller of Dubuque, IA; five grandchildren, Lynn (Brian) Thompson, Mark (Traci Kauphsman) Hoppe, Jennifer (Tim) Emmons, Heather Gerdes and Ranae Forsyth; and twelve great-grandchildren, Chelsea, Brittany, Brandon, Megan, Jenna, Carley, Hunter, Nicholas, Carter, Christian, Karl and T.J. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Leo. A Memorial Mass will be offered on Friday, March 12, 2010, at 11:00am, at St. Casimir Catholic Church with the Reverend Richard Colletti officiating. Interment will be in Woodlawn Cemetery in Winona, MN. Visitation will be held on Thursday from 6-8:00pm and also one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday.Please share a memory of Don with the family, sign his online guestbook or view his video tribute when it becomes available online at: www.hofffuneral.com
Tribute video can be found at: videos.lifetributes.com/125238