Donn Yatskis

Donn Arthur Yatskis was a truly amazing person. He was a devoted husband to Velma for 52 years, the best dad in the world to his kids and the best grandfather in the world to his grandchildren who were the apples of his eye, a selfless brother to his siblings, a fun-loving uncle; a farmer, a teacher, a business owner, a seed sales team manager; a golfer, a fisherman, a banjo player, a marathon runner, and a guitarist at his Catholic Church and for his family. 

One of Donn’s many talents was storytelling. So here is a story about Donn.

Donn was a farmer. He began to help run the family farm at the age of 8. He got up early to milk cows, went to Fried school #2 north of Jamestown, ND, and came home to do farm chores. Donn didn’t participate in high school sports because of his farm duties. He was so proud when he was later able to do the chores so his younger brother, John, was able to play on the high school football team.

Donn was a teacher. He taught vocational agriculture, shop, and small engine repair and was the advisor to the Future Farmers of America club at Jamestown High School. Donn taught his kids, grandkids, and nieces and nephews how to play cards, fish, and shoot shotguns (beginning with his first two city-slicker grandsons at the ripe ages of 10 and 8). He also taught one grandson how NOT to lose a fishing pole by leaving it unattended during a fish bite and taught that same grandson some colorful language when the fishing pole ended up in the lake.

Donn was incredibly generous. For their 50th wedding anniversary, he and Velma took all of their kids and grandkids for a trip of a lifetime to Costa Rica. Donn supported all of his kids’ dreams, regardless of how much he agreed with them (an opinion he kept to himself). Donn helped Jennifer pay off law school loans, helped Paul with the down payment for his house, and helped Pat with his various business adventures with both money and sweat equity.

Donn was a leader. When he retired numerous people from his team described him as the best boss they’d ever worked for because he gave them all the credit for successes and took all of the blame for failures. They were a little less enthusiastic about his “early is on time and on time is late” approach, which applied even to scheduled meetings.

Donn was active. He ran marathons and organized a walk/run event for charity. In his later years, he played golf with Velma nearly every day as long as weather allowed. He played sports with his grandkids, including basketball, golf, and tennis. Not many 74-year-olds would play flag football with their grandkids, but Donn did.

Donn was funny. In full transparency, he may have been a little less funny than he thought he was - but he was still very funny. Just ask his grandkids, who loved that many of his stories involved poop and port-a-potties. Papa Donn was a favorite card partner of his grandkids, largely because of his willingness to invent rules whenever necessary to dramatically increase scores.

Donn was a caregiver. When neighbors faced illness, he cared for them day after day, bringing meals and companionship for as long as they needed. Donn was the first to help with any project or chore that needed to be done, often performing a task such as shoveling or plowing snow, before the person even knew it needed to be done. Donn had been prompting Velma for the last few years to make sure she remembered his instructions about how to check the bank records and the investments contact person “In case [he] wasn’t there.” Donn was also a caregiver when it came to “nutrition,” if you were willing to apply a liberal interpretation of the word. Donn cooked thousands of hamburgers and smoked hundreds of pounds of meat to feed family and friends over the years. Making pizzas based on what he learned working at Shakey’s pizza in college was a favorite of his grandkids.

Donn is survived by his lovely wife Velma; 3 children and their spouses: Jennifer (Kyle) Dukart, Paul (Jennica) Yatskis, Patrick (Lauren) Yatskis; 12 grandchildren (11 boys he all called George and one granddaughter he called Georgie girl who are also known as Alex, Henry, Julianna, Ollie and Theo Dukart; Leo, Dain and Luke Yatskis; and Ethan, Piers, Kolby and Wyatt Yatskis); 4 siblings: Diane Fladeland, his twin Dan Yatskis, Lynn Lee and John Yatskis; and many, many cousins and other relatives across the country. He was preceded in death by his mother Doris and father Leonard.

Donn’s vigil service will be held on August 14 at Haut Funeral Home at 1101 5th Ave NE with the gathering starting at 6:30, memorial service at 7:00 pm, and family remembrances starting at 7:30 pm. Attendees are encouraged to wear their favorite team attire, so long as it isn’t related to the Packers or Bears. His funeral mass will be held at 10:00 am on August 15th at Jamestown Basilica at 622 1st Ave S, by celebrant Very Reverand C.F. Wilhelm. Casual dress is encouraged.

One of Donn’s favorite sayings was “Pay it Forward.” He lived his life by those words, and in lieu of flowers, the family asks to support Donn’s legacy of educating youth by donating to the endowment for the Donn and Velma Yatskis Scholarship at Jamestown Public Schools which has been awarded annually to a Jamestown High School senior pursuing a STEM-related field of study for over 20 years. Donn often stated his belief that future generations continue to get better and creating a permanent endowment for this scholarship ensures that future Jamestown students will continue to benefit from his generosity, his beliefs in education and the promise of youth, and his commitment to paying it forward.

There are two ways to donate:

1. 1. Follow the link and select and type “Donn Yatskis scholarship” in the “Designate Gift to a Specific Scholarship Fund” entry box.

https://jamestown.dollarsforscholars.org/index.php?section=chapterWebsite&action=donate&fwID=2078

2. You can mail donations in the form of a check to the following address and write “Yatskis scholarship” in the memo field and write the check to “Jamestown Dollars for Scholars”:

Jamestown Dollars for Scholars
PO Box 269
Jamestown, ND 58402-0269


The world is a better place because Donn lived in it and he will be greatly missed.