Donald "Don" O. Wallen

Donald (Don) O. Wallen, 77, died Friday, July 8, 2005 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Kearney.

Don was born on June 9, 1928 in McCook to Lynn A. and Alice M. (Confer) Wallen. He graduated from McCook High School in 1946 and from McCook Junior College in 1948.

Don married Shirley Muffley on June 12, 1949 at the Memorial United Methodist Church in McCook. They had three children, Marcia, Janet and Craig.

Don, who lived all his life in the area, farmed wheat, corn, milo, hay, and beets, and raised Longhorn cattle on his farm southwest of town. He was a strong advocate of minimum tillage, having worked many years promoting the concept. For a period time, he was also involved in farm machinery sales.

Don was a member of the Memorial United Methodist Church, the Elks Club, the Stone Church Association, the Nebraska Wheat Growers Association and was a past-officer with the county and state Wheat Growers. He also held positions on the County Extension Board, Election Board, County Weed Board, School District 16 Board, and was an area representative for the Beet Growers Association.

Don loved to read, travel, and experience new things. He was very involved with his children and grandchildren. Don was an avid follower of their activities and sporting events and they could always count on him for a game of checkers, dominoes, or blackjack.

Don was preceded in death by his parents Lynn and Alice Wallen, his father and mother in law, Robert and Francis Muffley, and his sister in law, Anne Muffley.

Survivors include: his wife Shirley of McCook; son Craig Wallen and wife Linda of McCook; two daughters, Marcia Wallen and husband Peter Fisher of Rancho Santa Fe, California and Janet Wallen Rabinowitz and husband Fredric of Redlands, California; brother Robert Wallen and wife Carollee of McCook; sister, Donna Carmichael and husband Hoagy (Lamoine) of Sun City West, Arizona; brother in law, Gary Muffley of Ashville, North Carolina; six grandchildren, Shane and Travis Wallen, Milia and Michaela Fisher and Karina and Jared Rabinowitz; and special family Arabella and husband Steve Tattershall and children Gray and Effie Tattershall of Lafayette, Colorado.

Donations may be sent to the Memorial United Methodist Church, the Stone Church or the American Kidney Foundation.

Funeral services will be Tuesday, 10:30 a.m. at Memorial United Methodist Church. The Rev. Dr. Jeffrey Thurman will officiate the service. Burial will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Visitation will be today until 8 p.m. at the Carpenter Breland Funeral Home, which will be in charge of the arrangements.