After high school, Don worked at various places and served as a volunteer firefighter in Storm Lake for eleven years. Don went to work for Wilson Foods (later Tyson Foods) in Cherokee. He enjoyed working on old cars and tractors in his spare time.
Don was blessed with two children, Vidra and Lawrence. In 1980, Don married Shirley Mae Smith at the United Methodist Church in Storm Lake, IA. They moved to Shirley’s family farm just outside of Sac City and for several years farmed the land before moving to a farm in Correctionville. Don and Shirley moved back to Sac City in 2012. Together they enjoyed playing cards, dominos, and other games with friends and family. When they lived in Correctionville, a young neighbor boy, Aaron, visited them on a regular basis. He spent a lot of hours with the two of them learning how to cook and sew, amongst many other things. Together the three of them had a lot of fun and made a lot of memories. Don will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.
He is survived by his wife, Shirley Kitsmiller of Sac City, IA; son Lawrence Kitsmiller of Ames, IA, and daughter Vidra Bernard of Bradenton, FL; brother Ernest (Sharon) Kitsmiller of Fargo, ND; sister-in-law Mavis Sams of Fort Dodge, IA; dear friend Aaron Nicolaisen of Sioux City, IA; many other extended family members and friends.
Don was preceded in death by his parents, Ernest and Willie Kitsmiller; son-in-law Richard (Dick) Bernard; brother George (Mitchiko) Kitsmiller; sisters Dema (Pete) Leu and Robbie (Ross) Hartman; sister-in-law Marie Ramstad; brothers-in-law Darrel Smith and Wayne Smith.
