Donald A. Lautner

Donald Anthony Lautner, 94,of Williamsburg, passed away peacefully at home December 4, 2013. He was born August 28, 1919 on the Lautner family farm in Williamsburg, to the late Anton Frank and Augustus (Scheidel) Lautner. He attended Traverse City Senior High School, upon graduation Donald honorably served in the U.S. Army, and is a veteran of WWII.

He married his wife, the former Wilma M. Smith, on January 20, 1945 in Traverse City, and the couple raised six children together and celebrated 68 years of marriage. Donald was a highly skilled machinist for the Parsons Machine Company, fabricating helicopter router blades. He lived on the family farm in Williamsburg, raising dairy and beef cattle, harvesting fruit orchards of cherry, apple and plums, working with wood products harvested from the farm and milled from his own sawmill. He was an avid baseball player and coach in his youth and enjoyed watching Tigers and Lions games in later years.

He is survived by his wife; Wilma, daughters; Sandra Adams, Linda Lautner, Rhonda (Brian) Bissell, sons; Edward (Helen) Lautner, Donald (Sonja) Lautner, David Lautner, sisters; Betty J. Haywood, Nancy Haywood, brothers; Charles Lautner, 8 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents, sisters; Eleanor Herrmann, Alberta Gee, Elaine Skiver, Dorothy Hughes, brothers; Merlin and Earl Lautner.

Visitation will be held on Sunday December 8, 2013 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home. A funeral service with full military honors will be held on Monday, December 9, 2013 at 11 a.m. also at the funeral home. A private graveside service for the family will be held Tuesday, December 10, 2013 at 11:00 a.m., at the Grand Traverse Memorial Gardens

Memorials may be made in lieu of flowers to the American Cancer Society, and the American Diabetes Association of West Michigan.

Arrangements for the family have been entrusted to Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home and Cremation Services.