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SGT Donald Wayne “Don” Cromwell

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SGT Donald Wayne “Don” Cromwell

Birth	:	16 Jul 1931
Death	:	16 Dec 2017 Pierre, Hughes County, South Dakota, USA
Burial	:	Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis, Meade County, USA
Coordinate	:	44.3689003, -103.4753036
Plot	:	R_816
Inscription	:	SGT US ARMY KOREA
Description	:	Donald Wayne Cromwell, 86, of Draper, SD, passed away December 16, 2017 at Avera Maryhouse, Pierre. Memorial services will be Thursday, Dec. 21, at 2:00pm, at Draper Auditorium. Burial, will full military honors, will be Friday, Dec. 22, at 12:30pm at Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis. Isburg Funeral Chapel has been entrusted with arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at isburgfuneralchapels.com. Donald Wayne Cromwell was born July 16, 1931, one of seven kids born to Arthur and Martha (Lesmeister) Cromwell. He was raised on the family farm south of Draper SD. After graduating from Draper High... Read More	Donald Wayne Cromwell, 86, of Draper, SD, passed away December 16, 2017 at Avera Maryhouse, Pierre. Memorial services will be Thursday, Dec. 21, at 2:00pm, at Draper Auditorium. Burial, will full military honors, will be Friday, Dec. 22, at 12:30pm at Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis. Isburg Funeral Chapel has been entrusted with arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at isburgfuneralchapels.com. Donald Wayne Cromwell was born July 16, 1931, one of seven kids born to Arthur and Martha (Lesmeister) Cromwell. He was raised on the family farm south of Draper SD. After graduating from Draper High School, Don worked on the farm until he was drafted in 1952 and served in the Army during the Korean War. While serving as an Army Private, Don received a field promotion to Sergeant. He was in close combat and which was close enough he learned that the enemy had a diet which had a lot of garlic. He said he knew to pay even closer attention to what was going on if he got a whiff of garlic. He did not talk much about his service other than these kinds of comments. While in Korea, Don received one of those "Dear John" letters. He was caught off guard and sad about the end. An Army friend from Indiana suggested that Don write to a friend of his girlfriend and who both thought Don would enjoy and appreciate. Don and Helen wrote letters to each other for almost two years while Don served in the Army. On Don's Army discharge there were letters going back and forth and an understanding that Don was going back to the family farm. After Thanksgiving of 1954, Don showed up in Indiana on Helen's front step. He asked her to marry him and she said yes. Don got a job in a refrigerator factory in Indiana and planned to settle there. Don and Helen were married on January 3, 1955. Don's family asked Don and Helen to come back home and help with the family farm. Don and Helen sold what they needed to and bought a grain truck to move their household to Draper in March of 1955. Coming back to Draper, Don started wearing many hats. He was a husband, father, farmer, Pee Wee baseball coach, school board member, American Legion Commander, South Dakota Democratic Party County Chair, town team basketball coach, and all this while farming and raising a family. While on the school board, Don was insistent that girl's sports be supported equally to boy's sports. He was proud of helping keep the Draper High School open for eight years longer than most people though possible. He served on the Jones County School board and received calls from people all over the county regarding education issues. Don and Helen believed education was important. Books. There were a lot of books in the Cromwell household. There was a party line for phone service for 4 farm households and three tv channels available by tv antenna. The books provided both entertainment and education. There was fishing in any dam that Don could find. Good fishing would bring out the seine which helped relocate fish to other dams. Sometimes there were White River catfish feeds. There were bullfrogs brought back from Missouri that decided western South Dakota was a good place to live. Some of this was probably not legal but what the heck, statute of limitations has probably long passed. Trees. Don planted a lot of trees and they thrived. He left his mark that way as well. There were hail storms that wiped out wheat crops, farm accidents and record setting blizzards. All the Cromwell kids learned to drive tractors before they drove cars. There were nephews who were sent to the farm for summer rehabilitation. It was a pretty good life for everyone and seldom a dull moment. The family farm was sold in the early 80's and Don and Helen moved into Draper, taking on a gas station and cafe along I-90. This was a new chapter and a new hat. The locals became the coffee crew who met up in the mornings and afternoons. During this time, coffee shops and diners around the country were touting their "Rush Rooms". With this, Don and Helen decided to go with a Rush Free Zone for their cafe. This was picked up by the newspaper and then hit a national news magazine followed by calls for interviews from radio programs and newspapers around the country. Don stated in interviews that he had a problem with anyone who would talk trash about women because it was good that women be strong independent people. The Hilltop received fan mail and phone calls from around the country. Don said that even if you didn't know what you were doing it would probably work out okay if you just tried to do the right thing. Family and friends would probably recognize his catch phrase of "ah hell, you can do that". He thought anything was possible and couldn't wait to jump into the action. Don was preceded in death by daughters Deb Haka and Donna Westhoff, and siblings, Laura Mae (at age 2), Clarence, Lawrence and Hazel Darnaby. He is survived by his wife, Helen, Pierre; daughters, Pat Cromwell (Skip Fossen), Rapid City, Robin Cromwell, Draper, Valerie Moore (Rick), Chamberlain; sons, Mike Cromwell (Dawn), Butternut, WI, and Chris Cromwell (Erika), Brandon, SD; 19 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchilden; 2 sisters, Margaret Hansen and Bev (Tom) Maples, Rapid City and a brother, Richard (Nancy) of Silt, CO.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is SGT Donald Wayne “Don” Cromwell's memorial?
SGT Donald Wayne “Don” Cromwell's memorial is located at: Black Hills National Cemetery, Sturgis, Meade County, USA.
When did SGT Donald Wayne “Don” Cromwell death?
SGT Donald Wayne “Don” Cromwell death on 16 Dec 2017 in Pierre, Hughes County, South Dakota, USA
Where are the coordinates of the SGT Donald Wayne “Don” Cromwell's memorial?
Latitude: 44.3689003
Longitude: -103.4753036

Family Members:

Parent

Arthur H. Cromwell

(1899 - 1964)

Martha Lesmeister Cromwell

(1909 - 1974)

Spouse

Helen Marie Bruce Cromwell

(1928 - 2019)

Siblings

Clarence Arthur Cromwell

(1926 - 1995)

Margaret Helen Cromwell Hansen

(1927 - 2021)

PFC Lawrence E. Cromwell

(1932 - 1995)

Laura Mae Cromwell

(1940 - 1943)

Children

Donna Cromwell Westhoff

(1959 - 1995)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Black Hills National Cemetery
Sturgis, Meade County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3689003, -103.4753036

2. Curley Grimes Memorial Cemetery
Sturgis, Meade County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3764500, -103.4691300

3. Fort Meade National Cemetery
Sturgis, Meade County, USA
Coordinate: 44.4021988, -103.4757996

4. Bear Butte Cemetery
Sturgis, Meade County, USA
Coordinate: 44.4111595, -103.4947968

5. Saint Aloysius Cemetery
Sturgis, Meade County, USA
Coordinate: 44.4141340, -103.5193420

6. Pleasant Valley Cemetery
Tilford, Meade County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3192500, -103.3531160

7. Galena Cemetery
Galena, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3349220, -103.6438410

8. Crook City Cemetery
Crook City, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.4432100, -103.6241500

9. Piedmont Cemetery
Piedmont, Meade County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2425780, -103.3871730

10. Oak Ridge Cemetery
Deadwood, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3891983, -103.6766968

11. Whitewood Cemetery
Whitewood, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.4617820, -103.6330030

12. Roubaix Cemetery
Roubaix, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2789380, -103.6656600

13. Mount Moriah Cemetery
Deadwood, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3760986, -103.7253036

14. Saint Ambrose Cemetery
Deadwood, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3821983, -103.7266998

15. Nemo Cemetery
Nemo, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.1872800, -103.5066410

16. Anderson Cemetery
Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.4747009, -103.6896973

17. South Lead Cemetery
Lead, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3478510, -103.7606260

18. Little Dane Cemetery
Saint Onge, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.5252500, -103.6705540

19. Mountain Meadow Cemetery
Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2038994, -103.6557999

20. West Lead Cemetery
Lead, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3484001, -103.7779999

21. Gate of Heaven Cemetery
Saint Onge, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.5353000, -103.7237000

22. Terry Cemetery
Terry, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3344290, -103.8165110

23. Vale Cemetery
Vale, Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 44.6138992, -103.4052963

24. Holy Cross Cemetery
Englewood, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.2818985, -103.8047028