Donald Lee LaFleure, Sr., 82, was born on August 4, 1943, in Alpena, and passed away on April 9, 2026. A longtime resident of Roseville, Michigan, Donald will be remembered with formal and respectful gratitude for a life defined by steady devotion, generous service, and enduring love for family and community.
Donald graduated from Wilbur Wright High School and dedicated more than 50 years of faithful work to Eastlind Heat Treat. He was affiliated with Sacred Heart of Roseville, where his life reflected the values of commitment, compassion, and quiet strength.
A devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather, Donald was admired for his dependable presence and the many ways he showed care through action. He was a helpful, capable, and hardworking man - truly a jack of all trades - known as an electrician, mechanic, gardener, bowler, card player, and coach and teacher. Whether enjoying lawn games, sharing conversation, or stepping in to fix what was broken, he had a gift for making things better and for making people feel supported.
Donald could fix anything, and just as importantly, he loved to learn and to share his knowledge. He was known for talking easily with anyone and for always helping anyone who needed it, offering his time and skills with sincere kindness and no expectation of return.
He also loved to travel and was proud to be the road-trip driver in the family station wagon, making the journey to all 50 states. Those miles and memories remain a lasting part of his family’s story, marked by his steady hand at the wheel and his enjoyment of the open road.
Donald is survived by his wife, Mary LaFleure; children: Donald (Maureen) LaFleure, Gerry (Jackie) LaFleure, Garry (Rose) LaFleure, Yvonne (Kim) LaFleure, and Michelle (Michael) Herzog; grandchildren: Alexis, Christopher, Kristina, Ashley, Jessica, Victoria, Alayna, Amanda, Kaitria, and Julia; and great grandchildren: Zach, Kaleb, Kasen, Leighla, Leland, Hunter, Leighton, Gracelynn, Kent, Ethan, Isaac, and Leianna.
Donald is preceded in death by his parents: Laurence and Theresa LaFleure; siblings: Beatrice Louise LaFleure Havermahl, Lawrence Clarence LaFleure, William John LaFleure, Helen Ilene LaFleure Hawley, Henry Charles LaFleure, Dolores Annette LaFleure Smith, Patricia A. LaFleure Thornton, Ella Mae Thurman, Inez Davis, Illa LaFleure, Edward LaFleure, and Edna LaFleure; and granddaughter, Kristina.
A visitation will be held on Monday, April 13, 2026 from 2pm-8pm at Kaul Funeral Home - 35201 Garfield Rd, Clinton Twp, MI. Funeral Mass will take place on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 at 10am, with an instate prior at 9:30am, at St Paul of Tarsus Church - 41300 Romeo Plank Rd, Clinton Township, MI. Donald will be laid to rest with military honors following the services at Resurrection Cemetery in Clinton Twp, MI.
