Donald J. Maes

Donald J. Maes 72, De Pere, passed away on Thursday December 4, 2014 with his family by his side. He was born July 9, 1942, in Green Bay, WI, to the late Von and Kate Maes. Don graduated from West De Pere High School in 1960 and enlisted in the United States Army. He married Rosemary Le Tourneau in 1962 and had two beautiful daughters, Allison and Kristin. The girls have great memories of traveling in the family Winnebago to places like Yellowstone Park, Mount Rushmore, Tennessee, and Florida. After serving in the Army until 1964, Don returned home and went to work for his father’s business, Maes Bus Service. After the death of his parents, Don assumed operation of the business. He ran the business for twenty-two years making sure thousands of children got to school safely. Don liked to share his stories of personally escorting the Green Bay Packers between St. Norbert College and Lambeau Field during training camp. After selling the business to Lamers Bus Lines in 1986, Don retired briefly only to venture back into the business world by acquiring Wisconsin Vending. Finding the Wisconsin winters too harsh, Don sold the business in 1998 and moved to Ft. Meyers, Florida near his brother David. Never a guy to sit still, Don worked for Williams-Scotsman in Florida and he would often comment that after 30 years of owning his own business, it was nice to not be the boss. Health challenges and his family brought Don back to the area in 2006. Don officially retired upon arriving back in De Pere and enjoyed being Grandpa Don. Over the years, Don had many interests including hunting, scuba diving, traveling, photography, and golf. An expert trap shooter and a championship cribbage player, he was a man for all seasons. He is survived by his daughters, Allison (Carl) Pettey of Appleton and Kristin (Paul) Northway of De Pere, his four grandsons, Hunter and Spencer Pettey and Andrew and Aaron Northway, his two brothers, James (Mary) of De Pere and Richard (Ellen) of Cottleville, MO, as well as several nieces and nephews. He is also survived by Kathleen (Danhieux) Maes whom he shared thirteen years of marriage. Don was preceded in death by his parents, brother David, and former spouse Rosemary. Friends may call at Cotter Funeral Home, 860 N. Webster Ave., De Pere, from 4-7pm Tuesday, December 9, 2014, with a prayer service to follow the visitation. Online condolences may be expressed at www.cotterfuneralhome.com. The family would like to extend a special thank you to the 6th floor ICU staff at St. Vincent’s Hospital for the wonderful care given to Don during his final days.