Donald McGahuey Leon

Donald Lee McGahuey, 87, of Leon died Tuesday, April 12, 2016, at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines.

Funeral services were held 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 15, at Slade-O’Donnell Funeral Home, 103 NE Mill St., in Leon with the Rev. Brad Carr officiating. Burial was in Decatur Cemetery in Decatur. A memorial fund has been established by the family.

Donald Lee McGahuey, son of Edward Lee Oliver and Goldie H. (Piercy) McGahuey, was born July 6, 1928, on a farm north of Lamoni. Don started kindergarten in Decatur and graduated from Osceola High School in Osceola with the class of 1946.

On May 24, 1949, he married Muriel Ruth Pett in Chariton at the R.L.D.S. Church. They started their marriage living on a farm south of Osceola where Don farmed and Ruth taught rural school. In November 1957, they bought the John Deere dealership in Leon. In the beginning, the store was on the east side of the Leon square along with three other businesses, then as buildings became available, it expanded. In 1975, it had outgrown that location, so land was purchased on the east side of town. The business is still in the same location today where he owned and operated it until 2009. Don set up equipment, sold and delivered equipment, and worked on equipment. He did not like doing the paperwork, so Ruth quit teaching and started helping in 1960. Over the years, their children and grandson, Sean Saxton, all joined the business.

Don was an elder in the Decatur Restoration Branch of the R.L.D.S. Church. He supported the Little River Lake project, helped build the first rodeo arena and helped other new business startups in Leon. He was a past member of Rotary and served on the Decatur County Hospital board.

Don is survived by his wife Ruth McGahuey of Leon; children, Marcia and Joe Stephens, Marilyn Saxton and Alan Couchman, and Dave McGahuey and fianceé Brenda Fry; grandchildren, Jake and Deanna Stone, MariAnne and Kevin Brown, Sara and Ben Moetsch, Amy and Sean Schmidt, Sean and Beth Saxton, Erin and Tony Dykes, Tamara and Mark Shannon, Lis Rovane and Lacey Medearis; 13 great-grandchildren; sister Darlene Ford of Millersville, Pennsylvania; nieces and nephews; and other relatives and friends.

Don was preceded in death by his parents and sisters, Rita Cumpston and Maxine Payton.