Donn Holmquist

Donn Holmquist, 82, of rural Saint James, passed away suddenly on March 30, 2026, at the Mapleton Community Home in Mapleton, Minnesota.

Visitation will be held on Friday, April 10, 2026, from 5:00pm until 7:00pm at Sturm Funeral Home in Saint James. Visitation will continue on Saturday from 10:00am until 11:00am at First Lutheran Church in Saint James. A funeral service will be held Saturday, April 11, 2026, at 11:00am at First Lutheran Church in Saint James. Interment with military honors will take place at Mount Hope Cemetery in Saint James. Arrangements are with Sturm Funeral Home in Saint James. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sturmfh.com.

Donn Elwood Holmquist was born on November 10, 1943, to Theodore "Ted" and Erin (Gustafson) Holmquist in Saint James, Minnesota. Donn was baptized and confirmed at West Sveadahl Lutheran Church in Sveadahl, Minnesota. He and his family lived on a site on the north edge of Sveadahl until age 5, when they moved to their current farm west of La Salle.

After graduating from Saint James High School in 1961, Donn worked at the Saint James Bottling Company before enlisting in the US Air Force in February 1962. He trained as a jet fighter mechanic. He served on maintenance crews of T-33 and T-38 aircraft in Arizona before being deployed to Southeast Asia in the early years of the Vietnam War. He spent just over two years primarily in Okinawa, but also at bases in Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines. He had many stories of working as a crew chief on F-105 Thunderchief jets and was proud that none of his planes were lost. Upon returning home, he became a life member of the Saint James VFW Post 1914 and served on its building committee.

After discharge in 1966, he returned to Saint James and began working at Watonwan Farm Service. On May 26, 1968, he married Charlotte Nelson at First Lutheran Church in Saint James. They were blessed with two children, Teresa and Craig.

In 1970, Donn began a 33-year career with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Working as a highway maintenance worker then an intermittent supervisor at the Saint James Truck Station. Donn loved working with road graders and harbored a long-held dream of owning his own self-propelled grader. During his time at MnDOT, he was active on various committees and as a trainer. He was active in what is now AFSCME Council 5, representing his fellow employees in improving working conditions including participating in contract negotiations.

Donn began farming on nights and weekends in the mid-1970s, operating his uncle's farm and then his father's farm. He retired from farming after the 1998 harvest. Following retirement from MnDOT in 2003, he kept busy in the spring and fall working for Ken and Brian Henderson doing spring tillage and operating the combine during harvest. He enjoyed when visitors rode in the "buddy seat" of the combine and he could explain everything that was happening. He had the opportunity to go on gold-key tours of the John Deere Combine Harvester Manufacturing facility and at the tractor manufacturing facility in Waterloo, Iowa. He retired from farmwork in 2015 when Charlotte's health began to decline.

Donn was an avid reader, having read over 2000 books in the last 40 years. He began tracking each book when in the 80s he decided to read every Louis L'Amour book and short story. Other favorite authors included John Sanford, Dale Brown, Michael Connelly, Lee Child and David Baldacci. Before his health prevented it, he loved to pack a grocery bag or two of books at each Friends of the Library book sale. He enjoyed watching westerns, war movies and classic TV shows particularly Gunsmoke, M*A*S*H, and Hogan's Heroes. Every morning, he completed the New York Times Wordle game and posted his results on Facebook. He also enjoyed playing other word games, card games, and logic puzzles on his smart phone. Donn loved spoiling his home health nurses, friends and neighbors with Dilly Bars, candy and huge bags of candy for the farm neighborhood kids each Halloween.

In late 2020, he survived a near fatal battle with COVID-19. After two months of rehabilitation at the Mapleton Community Home, he was able to return to his home near Godahl. He remained in his home until October 2025 when his health challenges and kidney failure resulted in his return to the Mapleton Community Home.

Donn is survived by his daughter, Teresa Holmquist of Saint James and son, Craig Holmquist of Richfield; sisters-in-law, Judy Nelson and Roberta Nelson of Saint James; grandchildren of the heart, Briley, Nolan, and Niles Henderson of Saint James; and nieces, nephews and many cousins.

Donn was preceded in death by his wife, Charlotte; parents, Ted and Erin Holmquist; brother, Wayne Holmquist; mother and father-in-law, Myrtle and Ervin Nelson; and brothers-in-law, Russ Nelson, Gene Nelson and Jerry Nelson.