LEON - Donald L. Justin, 84, of Leon, passed away on July 30, 2024 at his home. He was born February 18, 1940, to Raymond and Kathryn (Firlus) Justin, at St. Mary's Hospital, Sparta, WI.
He moved to the Justin family farm with his parents March 1, 1940. He attended one-room Pleasant Valley School grades 1-8. He contracted rheumatic fever during that time. His parents were not sure he would be able to walk to County J to get on the school bus so they petitioned the Township of Leon to create a town road on neighboring property to County J. Years before the road had been straightened because horse drawn hay wagons couldn't make the turns on County J to take hay to town leaving the Justin farm buildings .19 of a mile off the road. When Monroe County renamed roads, we were able to request Kathryn, to honor Don’s mother, with Kathryn Avenue, as that fit in the alphabetical arrangement.
Don graduated from Sparta High School in 1958, attended UW-Madison Farm Short Course and returned to the family farm. He enrolled in the Wisconsin National Guard in 1964, and was honorably discharged in 1970. He was stationed for a brief time in Milwaukee in 1967, during the race riots.
Don met Donna Malzacher at the Cashton Fall Festival. After a year-long courtship of dancing polkas, waltzes, and Schotishes, they were married the following year, September 9, 1967. They have one daughter, Dawn Justin.
Don was a conscientious dairy farmer; milking Guernsey and then registered Holstein cattle. He worked with the Monroe County Conservation Service to lay out strip crops to prevent soil erosion, install grassy waterways, 2 water retention dams and ponds, a diversion, remove highly erodible fields from production with grasses, and was an early adopter of no-till corn planting. He was named Monroe County Conservationist of the Year 2021.
In 1985, Don and Donna created and maintained cross-country ski trails, 2 tubing hills, and snowshoe trails through the property. The following year was the beginning of hosting bed and breakfast guests in their home. The following years brought 2 log cabins, renovated farm buildings to cottages, and renovated the 1919 post and beam barn to an event center. Disc golf courses were added to make use of the hilly topography in 1997 and the Big Brother Course in 2007. Justin Trails Open Disc Golf Tournament is in its seventeenth year with the Wisconsin Disc Golf Tour. " A Friends of Don Justin, Thank you for the Trails" was held July 27, just 3 days before his passing.
Don and Donna made a great team in creating what began as Just-N-Trails but changed the name when 2 writers were curious about the name. Entrails are guts.... Just guts. Later Don said, “We really were just moving forward with a lot of guts”. He loved renovating and improving the barn with larger stalls for the Holsteins, carpentry work on Little House on the Prairie and the house, building bunk beds for guests, the fix-it-guy when items were broken. Together they created an award-winning Justin Trails Resort, LLC hosting guests from all over the country and world.
Don and Donna had the opportunity to travel to Ireland, Washington, Arizona, Connecticut and many years to Florida. Don had the opportunity to travel to Hawaii with his sister Gerry.
Don was a kind, gentle and hard-working man with a quick wit.
Don was a Future Farmer of America, receiving the Wisconsin State Farmer Award; a member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church, the Dairy Herd Improvement Association, Farm Bureau, Cross Country Ski Areas Association, Hidden Valley Bed and Breakfast Association, Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Association, Professional Disc Golf Association, and served on the board of Wisconsin Ag-Tourism Association. Don hosted the Gurnsey Twilight meeting one year, and another year the Holstein Twilight meeting. The Monroe County Dairy Breakfast attracted 3,000 guests in 1988 to the Justin Farm.
They loved slalom water skiing and runabout boating, hosting deer camp for friends and family, bicycling, and hosting family reunions at "The Farm" as family members referred to the property. He spent many retirement years cutting grass on the trails and property with his Kubota tractor and Ferris zero turn mower along with visiting with guests and sharing his dry sense of humor with friends and family.
Don is survived by his wife, Donna; daughter, Dawn; sister, Gerry Ryan; nephews, Mitch (Alysia) Ryan, Jeffrey (Sarah) Justin, Jonathan (Heather) Justin, and Tom Malzacher; niece Jenny (Tom) Ziegler; great-nieces, Ashlyn Ryan, Madeline Ziegler and Tarikua Justin; great-nephews, Conor Justin and Maharuh Justin; brothers-in-law, Raymond (Cathy) Malzacher, and Brian Malzacher; and sister-in-law, Susie (Steve) Neuman.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Kathryn Justin; parents-in-law Donald and Kathleen Malzacher; brother, Gerald Justin; brothers-in-law, John Malzacher and Joe Ryan; sister-in-law, Carolyn Malzacher; and nephew, Joel Justin.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 A.M., Saturday, September 7, 2024, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Sparta, with Father Eric Berns officiating. A luncheon will immediately follow the service at Justin Trails, 7452 Kathryn Ave, Sparta, WI 54656. Burial will be at a later date in the La Crosse Catholic Cemetery, in the Justin Family plot.
A visitation will be held from 9:00 A.M.-11:00 A.M., on Saturday at the Church. Online condolences may be offered at www.schanhoferfh.com.
Lanham-Schanhofer Funeral Home and Cremation, in Sparta, is assisting the family with arrangements.
