Don Gringer

Don Gringer

Iowa City

Don Gringer, of Iowa City, died peacefully on July 12, 2025 following a long illness. Visitation will be held on Monday, July 21, 2025 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service in Iowa City. A funeral service will be held at the same location on Tuesday, July 22, 2025 at 10 a.m. Memorials may be made to Atrium Village in Hills or to the Hills Fire Department.

Don was born on May 27, 1934, to Florance and Frieda Gringer on a farm outside of Hills. He attended a rural school through 8th grade and then biked, hitchhiked, or bused to City High, where he played football on a state championship team. After graduation, he met his wife of 65 years, Mary Hartsock, and they were married in the Little Brown Church in Nashua on April 8, 1960.

Don excelled in agribusiness as a natural leader and gifted salesman. In 1966, he became manager of a local feed mill, where he expanded its grain elevator and soon after acquired the business, renaming it Gringer Feed and Grain. With both head and heart invested, Don helped farmers modernize their operations, playing a vital role in feeding a growing world.

Because the community gave him so much, he always looked for opportunities to give back. He served on the Hills Bank Board of Directors, was president of the Iowa Grain and Feed Association, and was actively involved with the National Grain and Feed Association. He was inducted into the City High Hall of Fame in 1997.

Don cherished family time and was known for his optimism, good cheer, and sense of fun and adventure.  He was quick to laugh and had a big smile. He enjoyed taking his grandchildren fishing and on tractor rides. Nothing made him happier than treating his family to ice cream on a summer day.

The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the staff of Atrium Village for their loving care of Don, and to Essence of Life Hospice for providing comfort during the last days of his wonderful life.

Don is survived by his wife, Mary; his children Jeff Gringer (Galina) of Amman, Jordan; Jane Gringer-Flinn (Kevin) of Bentonville, Arkansas; Jenny Gringer Richards (Chris) of Iowa City; Jill De Young (Paul) of Iowa City; his grandchildren Sophie Silver (Mike) of Fredericksburg, Virginia; Carly Branscum (Evan) of Bella Vista, Arkansas; Emily Flinn (Christian Neal) of North Richland Hills, Texas; Prasad and Maya Richards of Iowa City; Ella, Ceci, and Sylvia De Young of Iowa City; and great-grandchildren Joey, Dahlia, Stetson, and Hudson Henry.

Don was preceded in death by his parents, and his sister Arlene Noble.