Donald Hollis Lefler, 85, of Carman, Illinois, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice House on August 21, 2026. He was a cherished husband, father and friend, and his presence will be deeply missed.
Don was born at home in Media, Illinois, on July 13, 1941, to Hollis and Esther (Peterson) Lefler. He married the love of his life, Sandra Shaner, on September 9, 1962. Together they created a family filled with love and laughter. Everywhere they went, people were amazed with the longevity of their marriage. Don and Sandy were always proud to share how much they loved each other.
Don spent his life as a dedicated farmer raising crops and caring for livestock with a quiet, steady pride. After he retired from farming, he became a successful small business owner and welder who invented a very popular conibear trap stabilizer that was sold across North America. Don and Sandy traveled to many trapper’s conventions across the country to sell the stabilizers. This led them to develop many long-lasting friendships that often started with Don telling fun and sometimes tall tales as he never really knew a stranger. In 2013, he was inducted into the Illinois Trapper’s Hall of Fame for his years of dedicated service to the trappers in the state.
Don was an avid hunter, trapper and fisherman. He loved being outside and his happy places were sitting on the front porch with his wife, being in a deer stand, being at the fishing pond, taking a drive in the country or traversing the timber. He loved achieving his springtime trifecta of shooting a wild turkey, finding morel mushrooms and catching bass all before lunch. Not only was he a game hunter, but he also thoroughly enjoyed looking for arrowheads. He spent time monitoring his trail cameras and watching YouTube videos.
Don was very creative and enjoyed many hobbies. He was a self-taught expert in many things. He was a gifted woodworker, building beautiful furniture and turning magnificent bowls and decorations for his wife and daughters. Don was proud that he filled his daughters’ homes with his skilled craftsmanship. He was a winemaker often making two batches of fruit wine at a time and joked that for some reason the wine kept evaporating. He was a beekeeper and made swarm traps, beehives and bee frames and relished in the honey he harvested each year. He loved gardening and in recent years experimented with container gardens and straw bale gardening.
Don was one of the smartest people that his daughters have ever met. He could make anything after looking at a pattern once or just created his own patterns that resulted in priceless treasures. His girls always knew that he would do anything for them and loved them past telling.
He was also an ornery jokester that was an absolute joy to be around. His smile and laughter will be long remembered when his stories are retold for years to come. Most certainly these stories will be best shared over a shot or two of Don’s favorite whiskey.
Don loved and cared for his wife deeply and often surprised her with his handcrafted creations and took great delight in doing so. They cherished their shared life, finding complete joy simply in each other’s company. He survived cancer and a widowmaker heart attack through sheer strength and perseverance, but mostly he fought on because of his deep love for Sandy, which drove him to stay by her side. While Don’s life on earth is over, their love story goes on forever.
Don is survived by Sandra, his beloved wife of 63 years; favorite oldest daughter Lori Collins (Danny) of Danville, Illinois; favorite youngest daughter Cheryl Lefler (Stephanie Churchill) of Galesburg, Illinois; and his two grand dogs, Harley Jo Collins and Summit Lefler-Churchill whom he loved to play with and tease relentlessly. Don will also be missed by very dear friends Jim and Kris Nisius.
Also, surviving is a brother, Charles (Donna) Lefler of Stronghurst, Illinois; a brother-in-law, Wendell Shaner of Stronghurst, Illinois; step grandchildren Denise Collins of Danville, Illinois and Jason (Tabbie) Collins of Covington, Indiana; five step great grandchildren and one step great-great grandchild; and grandchild Tiera Claudin of Peoria, Illinois. Don will also be missed by nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Don was preceded in death by his parents; his in-laws Charles and Agnes Shaner; his sister and brother-in-law Janet and Jim Gould; sister-in-law Marian Shaner; his nephew, Alan Lefler; his nephew David Gould; and great niece Sadie Shaner.
Visitation will be 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, at Banks and Beals Funeral Home in Stronghurst, Illinois. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at Bethel Lutheran Church also in Stronghurst, Illinois with Reverend Doctor Pam Marolla officiating. Burial will follow at Maple Grove Cemetery. Following the graveside service, a luncheon will be held at the church. All friends and loved ones are invited to attend.
Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Don’s family is deeply grateful to all who surrounded him and his family with love, prayers and compassionate care, especially in recent times. As we say see you next time, we celebrate a life well-lived and a man well-loved. Please visit Don’s obituary at banksandbeals.com to leave a condolence.
