Donald Henry Bandt

Donald Henry Bandt was born in November, 1929 on a farm in Germania, Wisconsin to Edward and Nathalie (Clocksene) Bandt. The youngest of 4 children, Don grew up helping with the chickens, hogs and cows. Plowing behind horses was something he did not enjoy. Don remembers the day when the veterinarian told his father that their entire herd of 19 Guernsey milk cows and one bull had Bang’s disease and needed to be put down. The animals were sold for hides, and the money covered the purchase of 2 Brown Swiss cows from a neighbor to restart a herd. Somehow the family made it through that difficult season. Perhaps this was the beginning of Don’s lifetime habit of frugality.

Don spent 8 years in a one-room schoolhouse and graduated from Montello High School in 1947. He went to work in the canning factories for a couple seasons, canning sweet corn and cranberries.

At age 19, a friend convinced Don to join him in Minneapolis, MN where a 6-month course at Gale Institute would qualify them to work for the railroad. Typing and tele-type were skills that came easily to Don, but he found Morse Code difficult. Don bounced around at a few short-term railroad jobs, until one particularly frustrating job convinced him to look for something else. So he became a punch press operator.

On September 30, 1950 Don attended a Billy Graham Crusade in Minneapolis, where he heeded the invitation to surrender his life to Christ. I Corinthians 15:3-4 has guided his life.

In December 1950, as Don made plans to return home for a visit, he heard that his friend Wimpy had received a letter from President Truman. Don, knowing that his own letter was probably in the mail, arrived in Germania on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning the Postmistress opened the Post Office so Don could retrieve his letter. “Greeting,” it began, “Having submitted yourself to a Local Board composed of your neighbors for the purpose of determining your availability for service in the Armed Forces of the United States, you are hereby ordered to report for induction..."

On January 10, 1951 Don was drafted into the US Army 45th Infantry Division and sent to Korea. His time at Gale Institute and working for the Railroad enabled him to score well in the Radio Code Test, and so he became part of the Signal Company. Here he was part of a team that maintained communication from Regiment to Division and on to Corp.

After his discharge in October, 1952, Don spent a couple months hunting squirrels and rabbits on the farm before moving back to Minneapolis. He found a church home at Soul’s Harbor in downtown Minneapolis. It was here that he met and married Geraldine Blexrud in 1956. Three daughters were soon added to the family. Growing up, Don’s daughters knew that spending quality time with their dad would involve either fishing for sunnies and bluegill, or playing some type of ball: softball, basketball, football, volleyball. Summer vacations included a Shasta camper, fishing boat, lake up North, and the company of the Kline family.

Don was a hard worker and held a variety of jobs over the years. He worked at a grocery store, sold coffee, managed boilers and building maintenance, and repaired juice machines in restaurants. His frugal saving and investing afforded Don and Gerry a lovely retirement in 1995, where they divided their time between a condominium in Clearwater, FL and a home in Kokomo, IN. They chose these two places to be close to daughters living nearby.

Throughout his life Don loved to play softball, and his reliable pitches with a back spin and high arc delivery ensured his position as the team’s pitcher. Don capped off his softball years in Florida with “Kids and Kubs”, where one had to be 75 or older to join the team.

Don and Gerry were blessed to be members of four churches in different places over the years. Faithfulness in gathering with God’s people was very important to Don.

Don is survived by his wife of 69 years, Gerry; and by his daughters Renee Dollar, Coleen (Bob) Brenton, and Brenda (Bruce) Howard; 7 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Victory Baptist Church in Kokomo, Indiana on Monday, May 11 at 12:00 noon.

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be given to Victory Christian Academy in Kokomo, Indiana. Don often remarked that the best investment he ever made was Christian education for his daughters.

Special thanks to the Kokomo Senior Center, Angels of Mercy Homecare, and Cornerstone Caregiving for their gracious support and care of Don.