Donald Wayne Hatfield

Donald Wayne Hatfield

Cedar Rapids

Donald Wayne Hatfield, 77, of Cedar Rapids, died Monday, July 4, 2022, at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy. Services: 11 a.m. Friday at St. Pius X Catholic Church by the Rev. Jon Seda. Burial: Mt. Calvary Cemetery. A Vigil Service will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday at Teahen Funeral Home, where friends may visit with the family from 5 to 8 p.m., and Friday after 10 a.m. at the church.

Donald is survived by his wife, Frances “Fran”; seven children, Donald J. (Kristen) Hatfield, Gary (Kristi) Hatfield and Dan Hatfield, all of Cedar Rapids, Karen Wright of Davenport, Ann Hatfield (Kurt Gurley) of Gainesville, Fla., Mike (Mary Ann) Hatfield of Des Moines and Steve Hatfield of Louisville, Ky.; 13 grandchildren, Hannah (Patrick) Riley, Logan, Quintin, Chloe, Andrew, Austin, Mason, Griffin, Laurel, Haidyn, Adelyn, Tesia and Preston; one great-grandchild, Eleanor; siblings, Leonard (Guyneth) Hatfield, Mary (Jim) Hall and David (Roxanne) Hatfield; and extended family.

Donald was preceded in death by his brother, Alan Gene Hatfield.

Donald was born on June 8, 1945, in Perth, Australia, the son of Donald and Kathleen Woosnam Hatfield. He graduated from Des Moines Dowling High School in 1964 and attended Drake University for one year before enlisting in the United States Navy. He served from 1965 to 1969. Donald served mostly on destroyers and often recalled his deployment in the Mediterranean during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. Donald and Fran married June 10, 1966, in the Star of the Sea Chapel, Treasure Island, Calif. In 1973, he graduated from the University of Iowa, College of Engineering. Donald worked at Rockwell Collins in the aviation and communications field until his retirement in 2003 after 30 years. He worked on the designing of the Global Positioning System (GPS). He was a member of the American Legion Post 298 and the Knights of Columbus Council 5390.

Donald loved family gatherings and enjoyed watching the various activities of his children and grandchildren. Donald was a man of many talents, serving as a Webelos Scout Leader for St. Pius, and a Scoutmaster for Troop #42. Donald also belonged to “Old Fart Electricians,” a group of retired electricians that rewired around 400 homes after the 2008 flood. In 1982, Donald discovered a love for genealogy research that led him to discover 40,000 people on his family tree.

Instead of flowers, memorial may be directed to St. Pius X Catholic Church or Matthew 25.

Online condolences can be left at www.teahenfuneralhome.com.