Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 8, 2025, at St. Lawrence Church - St. John Paul II Parish in Carroll. The Celebrant will be Fr. Timothy Schott. Music will be provided by Kathy Halbur and Sherry Loughran. Lector for the Funeral Mass will be Susanne Soppe. Gift Bearers will be Jaci Menke and Elijah Boggle. Casket Bearers will be Drew Menke, Jake Menke, Elijah Menke, Jordon Werner, Steve Menke, and Mitch Schultes. Burial will be in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Carroll with military honors conducted by the Manning VFW and the Carroll American Legion.

A visitation will be from 5-7 p.m. on Monday at the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll with a rosary at 7 p.m. The casket will be moved to St. Lawrence Church on Tuesday morning where additional visitation will be from 9:30-10:15 a.m.

Memorials may be left at the funeral home or the church for a later designation.

Funeral arrangements are under the guidance of the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll and online condolences may be left for Don's family at www.sharpfuneral.com.

Donald Raymond Menke was born on July 28, 1938, in Houghton, Iowa, the son of Alvin and Anna (Woerdeman) Menke. At the age of 12, the family moved to Harper, Iowa, where Don later graduated from St. Elizabeth High School.

Following graduation, Don proudly served in the United States Army for two years until his honorable discharge. On July 10, 1965, he married the love of his life, Betty Cecilia Soppe in Des Moines, Iowa. Together, they raised three children: Jeff, Dennis, and Jean; all graduates of Manning High School.

Don worked as a hog buyer for Oscar Mayer (starting at Manning in 1971), and later for Excel until his retirement. Even after retiring, he continued to haul livestock until the fall of 2024. In 1991, Don and Betty fulfilled a lifelong dream by purchasing an acreage in Macon, Missouri, where they enjoyed raising livestock together.

A devoted Chicago Cubs and Iowa Hawkeyes Fan, Don found joy in the simple pleasures of life. After Betty's passing in February of 2008, Don reconnected with his high school classmate Joann Holtkamp at a reunion in June of the same year. The two formed a special bond and enjoyed many trips to the casino and countless card games.

Don is survived by his children: Jeff (Donna) Menke of Mitchellville, Dennis (Michelle) Menke of Ankeny and Jean (Brad) Werner of Sac City; his cherished grandchildren: Jordon (Sophia) Werner, Drew Menke, Jaci (Elijah) Menke, Elijah Menke, and Jake Menke; step-grandchildren: Tammy (Nathan) Peters and Jason Werner; his dear friend, Joann Holtkamp of Donellson; his sisters: Eileen Clarahan of Marion and Mary Ann (Allan) Bohr of Columbia, Missouri; his sisters-in-law: Jean Soppe of Papillion, Nebraska and Cheryl (Alan) Schultes of Dedham and Kathleen Menke of Sigourney; his brothers-in-law: Don (Susanne) Soppe of McFarland, Wisconsin and Dr. Mike (Pat) Soppe of Carroll; as well as other extended relatives and many friends.

Don was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 42 years, Betty Menke; his parents, Alvin and Anna Menke; his sister, Jane; brother Victor; brothers-in-law, Paul Clarahan and Charlie Clarahan; and his parents-in-law, Andrew and Marie Soppe.

Don's life was marked by love, hard work, a deep appreciation for family and friendship. He will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved him.

1981 Manning Centennial book
OSCAR MAYER
Oscar Mayer & Co. traces its presence in Manning, Iowa, to 1967 with the creation of a livestock buying center on the outskirts of the city.

The livestock center's impact on the community can best be measured in economic terms. During its first 12 years, including the company's 1979 fiscal year which ended October 27, area hog producers received approximately $76 million for their livestock marketed at the Manning Center. For 1979 alone, area farmers were paid more than $8 million for hogs sold at Manning.

The hogs marketed here are shipped to the Oscar Mayer pork processing plant in Perry.

Donald Menke, Manning livestock buying center manager, has served in that capacity since 1971.

The Manning area continues to be an excellent source of quality hogs for the Perry plant. Hog purchases are growing and another addition to the hog buying center is under construction.

Oscar Mayer & Co., which acquired its Perry plant in 1965, is a national and international food processing firm. Founded in 1883 in a small retail sore on Chicago's north side, the company today operates nine U.S. plants and 42 distribution centers, and has ownership in meat firms in Venezuela, Japan and Spain. Oscar Mayer specializes in sausage products and is the country's sales leader for wieners, cold cuts and bacon.

Subsidiaries of the firm produce fresh pickles, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, spice extracts and food processing and packaging machinery. The company recently made a bid to acquire Louis Rich, Inc., a major turkey product processor headquartered in West Liberty, Iowa.

On sales of $1.3 billion in 1978, the company ranked among the top six of the more than 3,000 meat firms in the country.

Oscar Mayer employs about 13,000 people, including approximately 800 at the plant in Perry.

1991 Manning Centennial supplemental
State Play-Offs
1984-1985 - Manning's first trip to the State Play-Offs! Manning 7, Mt. Ayer 0; Ogden 7, Manning 6.

1985-1986 - Manning was ranked #8 in the state in the final rankings! Manning 26, Avoca 17; Manning 21, Southeast Warren 20; Maurice Orange 35, Manning 0.

Members of the 1985-86 squad that played in the state semi-finals were: Nate Bandow, Richard Borkowski, Steve Clausen, Paul Croghan, Willie Croghan, Marc Drees, Mark Haubrich, Aneal Joseph, Brian Kahl, Gerald Kahl, Jay Karsten, Eric Kelderman, Scott Kerkhoff, Brad Kusel, Craig Langel, Dennis Menke, David Mohr, Brad Otto, Nate Puck, Rob Rauch, Dan Renze, Terry Rosonke, Jon Saunders, Russ Sturm, Doug Vollstedt, Kent Vollstedt, Steve Vollstedt, and Dale Wegner.

1988-89 - Manning returns to Play-Offs. Elk Horn-Kimballton 13, Manning 7.