Donald Wayne Maxfield

Wednesday, November 20, 2019 3:19 pm

Donald Wayne Maxfield, 87, of Sister Bay, Wis., formerly of Decorah, passed away Saturday, Oct. 26, 2019, at the Door County Medical Center in Sturgeon Bay.

Born June 9, 1932, in Ft. Madison, Don was the son of the late Robert Warren and Leila Katherine (Schmidt) Maxfield. After graduating from Davenport High School, Don attended Iowa State University in Ames for two years before he enlisted in the United States Army during the Korean War. After being honorably discharged in 1954, he attended the University of Iowa, where he completed a B.A. and M.S., and earned his PhD in geography in 1967. Don taught geography at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, the University of Georgia and Northern Illinois University (NIU). He retired from NIU in 1994 after 31 years of teaching, the last 12 of which he served as the chairman of the geography department at NIU. During the academic year 1976-77, Don was a visiting Fulbright professor at Chiang Mai University in Thailand.

Don married Dana Catherine Griffith Dec. 20, 1955, in Ferguson, Mo. and together they raised four children. The two were members of Salem Lutheran Church in Sycamore, Ill. and Decorah Friends Meeting, where Don was a very active volunteer. An avid organic gardener, Don and Dana enjoyed preserving the vegetables and fruits from Don’s garden. From his years as a Boy Scout and throughout adulthood, Don loved being outdoors – camping, hiking, and canoeing—a love he shared with his family. An accomplished, competitive swimmer, he also shared his love of swimming with his children. In his retirement, Don and his son, David, built a geodesic dome in Winneshiek County, of which the family was quite proud. Another great interest of Don’s was traveling. During the 1990s, Don and Dana led multiple tours to China, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Thailand. They also made many road trips in the U. S. exploring National Parks, especially in the American West. Don was always willing to help his children with handyman projects around their homes.

He will be missed by his loving wife of 63 years, Dana; children: Elaine (Don) Sunnen of Lexington, Va., David (Kim) Maxfield of Pony, Mont., Laura (Steve) Waldron of Washington Island, Wis., and Mark (Suk) Maxfield of San Angelo, Texas; nine grandchildren; one great-grandchild; brother-in-law, Jonathan Griffith; and many nieces and nephews. All will miss his loving, steady presence and his unique sense of humor.

Don was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Virginia (James) Lansing; brother-in-law, Gary Griffith; and sister-in-law, LaVonne “Bonnie” (Griffith) Hopkins.
Don’s life will be remembered with a memorial celebration in Decorah June 6, 2020. Details to come.

Casperson Funeral Home & Cremation Services in Sister Bay, Wis. are assisting the Maxfield family.

Expressions of sympathy, memories, and photos of Donald may be shared with his family through his tribute page at caspersonfuneralhome.com.