Donald Alvern Carver

Donald Alvern Carver

Center Point

Donald Alvern Carver, 90, passed away after a long illness Friday, Dec. 30, 2022. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, at St. John Lutheran Church, Center Point, Iowa, with visitation to begin one hour prior. Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Center Point, is assisting the family.

Don was born Jan. 14, 1932, in Center Point, Iowa, the son of Arnold and Leona (Reid) Carver. He graduated from Center Point High School and married his high school sweetheart, Lila Frank, on May 16, 1952, in Independence, Iowa.

Don spent most of his career at Collins Radio (later Rockwell Collins). He served as a maintenance man, keeping the boilers, air conditioning and pretty much everything else running. He proudly maintained the air control system in the “white room” in which the moon capsule radio system was built in the 1960s. He would balance atop beams, crawl into holes and do whatever it took to do his job. He worked the night shift for many years and even when he transitioned to days, he would volunteer to work Christmas Eve so others could be home with their families.

Don also co-owned C&S Laundromat in Center Point for many years. He was perfectly suited for this, as he could fix any washer, dryer, change machine or vending machine at the small business. In fact, Don could fix just about anything.

Don had a legendary sense of humor. His stories and trickster nature brought joy and laughter to others throughout his life. He was also a legendary St. Louis Cardinals fan. Before cable or satellite television, he could be found on the back porch of his house summer evenings listening to Jack Buck call the Cardinal games on KMOX. He took his family to countless Cardinals games and has a brick outside Busch Stadium in his honor. Don was also a long-time fan of the Cedar Rapids Reds and Kernels.

Don played his guitar, harmonica and accordion almost nightly. When he was young, his self-recorded records were played in jukeboxes in Center Point and Walker, and he was approached by an agent about recording in Nashville in the 50s. Don chose to stay in Center Point, as he was a self-described family man.

Don loved the outdoors, and especially the Black Hills of South Dakota. He took his family on yearly summer vacations and was known to take the “path less traveled.” There are few gravel roads Don would not venture down and by doing so, his family saw many untouched areas of beauty.

Don was active in the Center Point Booster Club and Center Point School Board and served as president of both. He was also a long-time PA announcer for Pointers football.

Don gave his family many gifts, including a sense of adventure, a love of music and the outdoors, but most importantly, a love of Jesus Christ as our Savior. Don was a lifelong Christian, and we know he is singing in heaven with his beloved friends and family that have gone before.

Survivors include his wife, Lila Carver; children, Peggy Ann (David Alan Humphrey) Carver of Ridgefield, Wash., Richard Dean (Rachel) Carver of New Mexico and Polly Marie (Todd Kimm) Carver-Kimm of Urbandale, Iowa; grandchildren, Lauren Carver Humphrey (Adam Bernstein) of Culver City, Calif., Emily Carver Humphrey of Portland, Ore., Charles (Eryn) Davis of Indianola, Iowa, Joseph (Jenny) Carver, Benjamin (Amy) Carver, Jonathan (Courtney) Carver, all of Flagstaff, Ariz., Hannah (Shane) Carver-Silva of Edgewood, N.M., Tara (Jordan) Brown of Story City, Iowa, Kaitlin (Bruce) Alter of Oklahoma City, Okla., and Trevor (Lauren) Kimm of Nashville, Tenn.; eight great-grandchildren; and brother, Tom (Suzanne) Carver of Center Point, Iowa.

Don was preceded in death by his parents and daughter, Patti Kay Davis.

The family wishes to thank the Vinton Lutheran Home for the loving care provided to Don.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Don’s memory may be made to the Center Point-Urbana Booster Club.

Please share a memory of Don at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.