Donald Charles Jares

Donald Charles Jares, 92, of Kearney, formerly of Aurora and St. Paul, joined his loved ones in heaven on Sunday, April 12, 2026. Mr. Jares was residing at the Central Nebraska Veterans Home in Kearney, Nebraska.

Funeral services for Donald will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, April 17, 2026, at Jacobsen-Greenway-Dietz Funeral Home in St. Paul, Nebraska. Pastor Daniel Bear of Grace Baptist Church in St. Paul will officiate. Interment, with military honors, will follow at Elmwood Cemetery in St. Paul.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, and one hour prior to the Friday services, all at Jacobsen-Greenway-Dietz Funeral Home in St. Paul.

Donald was born March 12, 1934, in St. Paul, Nebraska, to Charles and Georgia (Krepel) Jares. He was united in marriage to Elberta June Black on October 14, 1956, at the United Methodist Church in St. Paul. Elberta preceded Donald in death on February 9, 2025.

Donald is survived by two daughters and a son-in-law: Linda (Ed) Sondag of Omaha, Nebraska, and Karen Bell of Grand Island, Nebraska; three grandchildren: Angela (Justin) Reimers of Doniphan, Nebraska, Melissa (Steven) Emmerich and Tyler Sondag, both of Omaha, Nebraska; and four great-grandchildren: Jackson, Brayden, and Addison Reimers of Doniphan, Nebraska, and Theodore Emmerich of Omaha, Nebraska. He is also survived by two sisters, Darlene Rief of Dannebrog, Nebraska, and Elaine (August) Peters of Wood River, Nebraska.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Elberta; his parents, Charles and Georgia; and his sister, Shirley Johnson.

Donald was raised in rural St. Paul, Nebraska, where he attended District 79 School and graduated from St. Paul High School in 1951. He worked on the family farm until 1956, when he was drafted into the armed services during the Berlin Wall uprising. He served in the U.S. Army in Germany during the Cold War, was named Soldier of the Month twice, and received a medal for expert marksmanship.

Following his honorable discharge, Donald completed electrician courses through a veterans program. He enjoyed farming and had a deep love for livestock, especially his Black Angus cattle. He spent winters working as a welder for Ed Paulsen in St. Paul and was a Northrup-King seed corn dealer. His hobbies included welding and woodworking.

Upon retiring to Aurora, Nebraska, in 2003, Donald volunteered at the Plainsman Museum and served as a board member. After later moving to the Central Nebraska Veterans Home, he spent many hours in the crafts room working with ceramics, a pastime he greatly loved.

Memorials are suggested to the family or to the American Diabetes Association. Online condolences may be directed to the family.