Don Voudry

Don Voudry, age 82, of Yankton, South Dakota, died from Covid on Thursday, December 31, 2020 at Avera Sister James Care Center in Yankton. A celebration of his life will be held at 1:00 PM on August 7, 2021 at the Lewis and Clark Overlook Picnic Shelter at 55245 Hwy 121, Crofton, NE, which overlooks the dam on the Nebraska side.  Arrangements are under the direction of the Wintz & Ray Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Yankton. Donald James Voudry was born June 6, 1938 in Los Angeles, California to Clarence and Mae (Delaney) Voudry.  In 1945, they moved to Vermillion, SD where Don grew up.  He was the second oldest of 10 kids.  Don went to country school through the eighth grade and then worked in a bowling alley to help support the family.  Don married Rose Marie Lyons on December 2, 1960.  They lived in Yankton, where they had two children, Robyn and Brian, who they loved more than anything.  Dad was such a hardworking man.  He worked at Aldy’s as a car mechanic for many years and then worked at Gary’s Repair and drove the wrecker.  In 1981, he opened his own garage called Don’s Auto Repair.  He worked there until he retired in 2015.  His garage was the “happening” place to be and he was hardly ever alone there.  Coffee was always on and a group of guys were always inside talking and drinking coffee.  Many times someone would just pull up and Dad would stop what he was doing.  He would either look at their car or take it for a test drive to see what was wrong with it. Don loved to fish and loved to eat fish.  Every year, he would take his granddaughter, Erin, to the Boy Scout Smelt Feed when she was young.  She was the only one who would go with him.  There are many pictures of Dad on a boat with a fishing pole in his hand, smiling.  Dad also loved bowling and when we were kids, it was the only sport he watched on TV.  He bowled his whole life.  First in Yankton and then from 1984 to 2014, he bowled in Crofton, NE at Centennial Lanes which is now Wiebelhaus Recreation.  He loved bowling there and loved all the people there.  His name and his team’s name, Don’s Auto, still hold many records on the trophy wall. Dad was such a good man.  He had more patience than anyone.  He was so kind, never said no to anyone asking for help, and would do anything for anybody.  He never complained or said a bad word about anyone.  We always laughed because Dad was up for anything.  Anytime we would ask him to do something, he was the first one in the car.  The way to his heart was ice cream, hard candy, and mixed nuts.  Dad loved his grandkids and never missed a baseball game, dance recital, or going fishing and camping with them.  When Brian’s family came from California, he usually closed the garage to spend all his time with them. In 2008, Don had a five bypass heart surgery and had to retire in 2015 following a small heart attack and because he had spinal stenosis so bad.  He proceeded to drive Mom crazy at home.  He discovered word find books, which he did continually.  Rose Marie died suddenly on March 3, 2020, leaving us all lost.  Our main focus was making sure Dad was taken care of and could still stay home.  Mom’s cat adopted Dad, which is funny because he was never a cat person.  These last months, Dad and the cat were always in the recliner doing word find books.  We will miss Dad so much.  We will miss his wit and his smile.  We are all better people to have known him. Don is survived by two children, Robyn (Bob) Tramp of Crofton, NE and Brian (Tami) Voudry of Hanford, CA; six grandchildren: Erin (Andy) Filips of Crofton, Laura (Brandon) Barger of Bloomfield, NE, Ryan Tramp of Yankton, Nickolas Voudry of Sacramento, CA, Carson and Cassidy Voudry of Hanford, CA; four great grandchildren: Braelynn and Jaden Barger, Harlow and Caleb Filips; four siblings: Clarence Voudry of Vermillion, SD, Ozzy (Jo) Voudry of Council Bluffs, IA, Sally (Gene) Sannes of Vermillion and Xinnia (Ernie) Namminga of Springfield, SD; and numerous nieces, nephews and friends. Don was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Rose Marie Voudry; four brothers: Kenny, Jerry, Ricky and Ernie Voudry; sister, Josephine Gaetze; and great grandchildren: Kinley and Riley Filips and other Filips angels in Heaven.