Donald was born on April 9, 1918, in Elk River, Minnesota to Herman and Edith McMeekin Lemke. He moved to Poweshiek County with his family in 1923 and was raised in the Grinnell area. He attended Grinnell schools and a rural school near Montezuma. Following his education he worked in a C.C.C. Camp and as a farmhand on various farms in Jasper and Poweshiek Counties. On August 7, 1937, he was married to Bertha Belcher in Grinnell. The couple were the parents of five sons and made their home on a farm south of Searsboro, where he worked for the Hull's Turkey Farm. From 1953 to 1963 he worked for Cornland Fertilizer Plant in Grinnell and from 1963 to the late 1980s he worked as a truck driver for the Macy Concrete Company in Grinnell. Donald enjoyed raising horses and attending horse events and spending time with his family. He is survived by four sons, Donald E. Lemke of Crowley, Texas, William R. Lemke and Earl E. Lemke, both of Grinnell and Gerald D. Lemke of Downey, Missouri; 19 grandchildren; several great grandchildren; one sister, Hazel I. Freeborn of Grinnell; and four brothers, Walter Lemke and Ralph Lemke, both of Grinnell, Marvin Lemke of Columbia, Missouri and Calvin Lemke of Winchester, Virginia. He was preceded in death by his parents; one son, Albert L. Lemke; one sister, Dorothy Haines; and three brothers, Earl, Leonard and James Lemke. Memorials in Donald's name may be directed to Iowa Public Television, P.O. Box 6450, Johnston, Iowa 50131-6450.