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Donald E. Borcherding, Jr.

May 27, 1962 - December 19, 2022

Donald Edward Borcherding Jr. went to be with his heavenly father on Monday, December 19, 2022 after a vehicle accident.

A visitation will be held 4:30-6:30 pm, Wednesday, December 28, 2022. A funeral will be 11am, Thursday, December 29, 2022.  Both are at Bethesda Lutheran Church, 1517 Northwestern Ave., Ames, Iowa.  Interment will follow at 2 pm at Ankeny Memorial Gardens, 4208 N. Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny, Iowa. The funeral will be livestreamed at the following link: https://vimeo.com/779687326/7af4773b19

Don was born on May 27, 1962 in Hampton, IA to Donald and Shirley Borcherding.   He began his schooling at St. Paul’s Lutheran school in Latimer, IA and graduated from CAL Community school in 1980.  Don went onto receive a B.S. in Agricultural Business with a minor in Finance at Iowa State University, interning with FHA in Harlan, IA.  He later returned to ISU earning a Master’s degree through the college of Life and Human Sciences.

On December 27, 1980 at Nazareth Lutheran Church in Coulter, Iowa, Don married his high school sweetheart, Janet Johansen.  They were a week shy of their 42^nd anniversary.  Their love blessed them with three wonderful children: Derek, Diane and Debra.  The role Don cherished the most was being “Grandpa!” to his four beautiful grandchildren: Kahlan, Malachi, Keagan, and Blayke.  Nothing gave him more pleasure than to teach his grandkids sports, watch their activities, tailgate with them and show them how to make homemade pizza.

All of his life, Don was a sports enthusiast.  Growing up he played baseball, football, basketball and track.  He was also involved in band, choir, theater, 4-H, FFA and showed hogs.  As an adult, he took great pride in coaching and officiating not only his children but high school and club teams in baseball, basketball, softball and volleyball.  He was an avid and passionate fan of all Iowa State University sports and especially loved to tailgate with family and friends.

To support the family and sports he loved, Don worked most of his career in banks and credit unions from Mount Union Pennsylvania to Estherville, Bloomfield, Green Mountain and Ames, Iowa.  During both stints of college education, Don supported his family through employment at Mary Greeley hospital, the former North Grand Movie Theater, Boone Community school PE department, Friedrich maintenance department and as an AAL representative.

Though Don lived many places, he never met a stranger.  His ability to make everyone feel like family goes unmatched.  Time and distance may have taken him away from people, but he always remembered who they were and took a genuine interest in their lives.  He was quick to lend a hand and even quicker to invite them to tailgating with the promise of plenty of food.

Don was an active member of any community and church he was in.  He organized fundraisers, was a United Way volunteer, scout leader and most recently, as part of Rotary, helped make the Miracle Park and Field a reality for Ames.  Don was a man of faith who led with his heart.  He was a devout family man, a hard worker and quick to lend a hand to anyone in need.  He was most at home during family gatherings where loved ones surrounded the table playing games, gathered in the living room to watch sports and ate a good, hardy meal.

Though Don’s passing was sudden and unexpected, these memories and countless others will forever stay in the hearts of those who knew and loved him.  His genuine personality, wholesome laugh, generosity, smile and hugs will never be forgotten.  Though hearts break and lives will be forever changed because he is gone, lives were made better because he lived.

Don was a beloved husband, father and grandfather.  He is survived by his father, Donald Sr. of Urbandale, IA; his wife, Janet of Ankeny, IA; his children, Derek (Dana and Kahlan) of Shiloh, IL; Diane (Keagan); Debra (Hayley, Malachi and Blayke) all of Ankeny, IA; his siblings, Aaron (Karen) of Salina, KS; Cathy (Mark) Kramer of Des Moines, IA; Beth (Brian) Castile of Urbandale, IA; and numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces, great nephews, relatives and friends.