Born August 18,1932 in Malad City, ID, died Oct 13, 2018 in Salt Lake City, UT. Don was born to Robert Marion May and Grace Davis May. He was the 7th of 9 children.
Growing up in Malad was the best anyone could ask for. He idolized his brothers and sisters. He grew up on a farm, he learned hard work and to be thankful for everything you had.
As a young kid, he delivered newspapers, worked in the potato fields and sugar beet fields. He shined shoes in front of the movie theater on the weekends. He loved to go camping, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling and floating down a river.
That was some of his best times. He was just 16 when his dad died and just 19 when his mom died. He quit school to help the family.
Dad joined the Army in 1952 and was sent to Korea. He was a sharp shooter and lived in the trenches. Dad married Iola Jones in 1955.
They were married 51 years until Mom’s death in 2006. They had one daughter, Cynthia Ann. With Mom having rheumatoid arthritis and Dad’s heath, Cynthia spent a lot of time taking care of her parents.
She spent 11 years taking care of her father after Mom died. It was hard, but she wouldn’t have had it any other way. Dad moved to Salt Lake and worked at many construction places learning the trade.
He loved the cement trade and worked on many buildings and even helped to build the Glen Canyon dam. He started his own swimming pool business, Mays Swimming Pool Co He had other side businesses too and he has built many pools in Utah and surrounding states.
He was very good at his work Dad had a major stroke in 1976 which took this his speech and paralyzed his right side. He spent 6 months in the hospital and rehab. He had to learn his speech and how to walk again.
It was amazing at what he accomplished after his stoke. With the business gone, he had a wonderful garden and shared the fruits and veggies with all. With the big yard, he rode his tractor all around, plowing the ground or pushing the snow.
Dad raised chickens, ducks, a sheep, geese, dogs, cats, and rabbits. Dad is survived by his daughter Cynthia, his sister Wanda and his dog Daisy May. He is preceded in death by his parents, brothers and sisters Ruth, Mabel, Joe, Tom, Helen, Ira and Shirley.
Special thanks to his doctors, nurses, aids and employees at the William E. Christofferson SLC VA veterans’ home. They are just like family. They were so special to him and to me in the year Dad was up there.
Thank you for taking him fishing and then cooking it for him. That meant more than you can know. He never stopped smiling that day.
He said chocolate cookies always took his pain away, which we all laughed at. Funeral services will be Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 11 a.m. at Goff Mortuary, 8090 S. State St., with a viewing one hour prior to services.
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