Donald G. Ferris

Donald G. Ferris, 73, passed away on Friday, March 6th, in Champlin, Minnesota. He was born in Duluth. He was the youngest son of Elwood and Bernice (Young) Ferris. Don grew up in Hibbing, enjoying summers at Side Lake.

He learned his strong work ethic mowing grass, raking leaves, and shoveling snow for elderly neighbors and friends. As a teenager, he discovered that he could fix just about anything and could be found tinkering on cars with friends who worked at a service station. After he graduated Hibbing High School, Class of 1971, he pursued Heavy Truck & Diesel Mechanics at Hibbing Vo-Tech. “Donnie,” as he was known to most then, faithfully served his first extended family for years at Paolo Oil Company by delivering fuel oil and maintaining trucks.

When Don decided to further his education and change his course, he graduated near the top of his Refrigeration Class of 1991 at Dunwoody Institute in June that year. He was offered a job at the Trane Company in Oklahoma City well before he graduated. This job was a union position and Don had an accelerated apprenticeship earning his journeyman’s status from the UA Local 344 Plumbers & Pipefitters in just three years. He attributed his success to excellent skilled-trade courses at both Hibbing Technical College and Dunwoody.

Don married Brenda Mauk in the spring of 1992 and from OKC, they moved to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in 1994. He still worked for the Trane Company, but with the ability to directly invest into the franchise. Their children, both born in Eau Claire--Brandon, November 1996, and Carly, June 1998, were the light of Don’s life and the incentive for him to work even harder. So he decided to move the family to Los Lunas, New Mexico, so he could work in the warmer climate. Don would have worked much longer if his body would have let him. He “retired” in 2015 and returned to Minnesota in the summer of 2022 to be closer to his family.

Don was preceded in death by his parents, Elwood and Bernice; and his siblings Stanley (Barb) Ferris of Hoyt Lakes and Donna (Joseph) Deslich of Chisholm. He is survived by his children, Brandon of Champlin, and Carly (Adam) of Minneapolis. He is further survived by a host of extended family and friends.

The family would like to thank Amira Choice, Champlin, and LifeSpark, St. Louis Park, for their patience and care of Don over the last several months. At Don’s request, he was cremated and will be inurned with his mother at Maple Hill Cemetery, Hibbing, later this spring. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the family. Crescent Tide has served the family.

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Funeral/Cremation Provider: Crescent Tide Cremation Services