Obituary of Donald J. Schallau

Donald Joseph Schallau, 69, died on August 31, 2013, in Iowa City, after a short illness. Funeral Mass will be 10 a.m., Tuesday, September 3, 2013, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Iowa City with burial following at the St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 -7 p.m., today at the Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City with a vigil service starting at 5 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the NAMI Johnson County www.namijc.org or the charity of the donor's choice. Don was born on April 18, 1944, in Williamsburg, Iowa, the son of Paul and Elsie (Boddicker) Schallau. He lived in Iowa City since 1955. Don graduated from Regina High School in 1962. He always boasted of scoring the first touchdown for Regina, in the fall of 1958, playing for the freshman team. After high school Don attended St. Bonaventure Jesuit Seminary for three years. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1972 and was self-employed as a legal researcher for many years. Don was an avid reader and writer and loved books, libraries and sending letters to family and friends. He was well traveled and well versed on a variety of subjects, and was an easy conversationalist. Survivors are his siblings, Jim (Marge) Schallau of San Jose, CA, Al (Carol) Schallau of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, Lois Burch of Surprise, AZ, Anne (Terry) Guerrant of Gilbert, AZ, Jean Lantz of Chicago, IL, and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his sister Mary E. Carter formerly of Nichols, an infant sister Marcia Schallau, a nephew Michael Burch and niece Wendy Schallau. The family would like to thank his favorite waitress Jascinta at Village Inn for her many years of kindness, the wonderful staff and friends at Chatham Oaks, and for the past year, the very caring and skilled staff at the Iowa City Rehabilitation and Care Center. And finally, the members of the family are grateful to Don's dear friends John and Dorothy Whiston for their companionship, love, and devotion over the past several years. Don truly enjoyed all of the times they shared with him.