ROCHELLE — Donald Henry Julifs, 76, of Rochelle, passed away suddenly on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2022, in Rochelle. He was born in Fort Dodge, Iowa on Feb. 16, 1945, to Claus and Hannah Julifs.

Don was raised on a dairy farm in Adams, Minnesota. After finishing his education, he proudly served in the Marine Corps and did a tour in Vietnam. Following his military service, Don worked for Del Monte in Rochelle for several years and then worked at the Byron Nuclear Plant until his retirement in 1999.

In his spare time, Don loved woodworking, working on anything mechanical, and watching and participating in all kinds of sports. He was a man of few words, yet people listened when he had something to say.

Don is survived by Debra, his wife of 36 years; sister, Jean McClure of Arvada, Colorado; brother, Harold (Sandra) of Sterling; and brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Andrew and Diane Strole of Downers Grove. He is also survived by nephews, David Julifs (Roxann Marumoto) of Torrance, California, Steven Julifs (Kim Hoshell) of Shorewood, Illinois, Brian Strole of Chicago; nieces, Robin McClure (Gregg Gilky) of Aurora, Colorado, Lisa Strole (Ethan Nosek) of Tuscon, Arizona and several great and great-great nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Dean; and brother-in-law, Cliff McClure.

At Don's request, there will be no visitation or service. Cremation care has been provided by the Unger-Horner Funeral Home in Rochelle. A private burial in Minnesota will take place at a later date.

Memorials may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, KS 66675-8516 (https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/) or to K9s for Warriors, 114 Camp K9 Rd., Ponte Vedra, FL 32081 (www.k9sforwarriors.org.) Please visit www.ungerhorner.com to sign the online guest book.