Donald "Donny" Welk, 71, of Linton formerly of Wishek, ND, passed away July 19, 2026, at his home, surrounded by the ones he loved most.

Donny was born May 31, 1955, in Linton ND to Clarence and Rose (Meier) Welk.

Donny married Polly Rohweder in 1975, and was blessed with three children: Ricky, Jesse and Brandi.

Donny was incredibly proud of his children and enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. His hobbies included gambling, darts, watching court tv, and soap operas. He never hit it big at the casino, but he did hit it big in 2000 when he met Sue Job.  Together they shared the most wonderful and loving life together for the past 26 years.

The one thing everyone knew about Donny is that he had great work ethic, and he worked very hard from a young age. He grew up on a farm in the Zeeland area until 1969. While living in Zeeland he worked for the Schumacher and Schilling families. In 1969, his family relocated to Wishek, and he was hired by Ray Rohweder to help on the dairy farm, and this was the start of his dairy farming career.  He wasn't called Uncle Donny to his family, he was known as "Farmer Don."

Donny graduated from Wishek High School in 1973 and started his own dairy operation east of Wishek. In 1989 he sold his dairy operation and went to work managing Curt's Dairy.

The dairy business brought a lot of long days and nights, which meant time away from family, so in 2010 he traded in his manure covered boots to work in the oil fields for Murex Petroleum. During his time with Murex, they honored him by naming an oil well after him, "The Donald Adam."

In 2021 he decided he wanted more time to focus on his family, so he retired from Murex.

A hard-working man can never sit still too long, so during his retirement he helped out at JB Ready Mix in Wishek part-time for a few years.

Donny played High School football, but nothing brought him greater joy than watching his children play sports. Eventually he relived these moments with his grandchildren, and one granddaughter even added Figure skating to his plate.

His retirement allowed him the time to finally relax and enjoy his family and hobbies. He thoroughly enjoyed sitting outside in his rocking chair, on the deck. This was truly his happy place.

Donny was a past board member of the Tri County Fair Board, and the Wishek School Board.

Donny is survived by his special friend and companion, Sue Job, children, Ricky (Jenny) Welk, Jesse (Penny) Welk, Brandi (Casey) Christmann, Leslie (Brandon) Koch and Jenny (Jesse) Zander; grandchildren, Corey, Ethan and Emily Welk, Blane and Madison Schmitz, Cole, Luke and Whitney Welk, Olivia Christmann and Amelia Zander; brothers, Gerald "Chuck" (Arlene) Welk, Robert (Karen) Welk, David Welk, Kevin (Tami) Welk and Keith (Katie) Welk; sisters, Karen Bakkegard, Geraldine Welk, Patricia Mootz, Cynthia "Cindy" (Ricardo) Garcia, Beverly Vilhauer, Janet (Alden) Lautt and Henrietta "Henri" (Frank) Welk, along with  many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Clarence and Rose Welk; brother, Daniel; sister, Barbara; and brothers-in-law, Merle Bakkegard, Roger Mootz and Vern Vilhauer.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at St. Luke Lutheran Church, Wishek, ND. Burial will take place at St. Patrick's Catholic Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 6:00 - 7:00 pm with a Celebration of Life Service at 7:00 pm on Friday, July 24, 2026, at Feist Funeral Home, Wishek, ND.