Donald Edward Zanto

Donald Edward Zanto, age 81, of Princeton, passed away on Friday, August 7, 2026, surrounded by love and steady companionship. He was born on July 6, 1945, at Ripon Hospital, a son of Edward Carl and Minnie Alva Elda (Schultz) Zanto.

Don grew up in a close-knit Wisconsin community. He attended St. John’s Lutheran Grade School in Princeton and was a graduate of Princeton High School. He married the love of his life, Marilyn Jean Stowell, on October 10, 1964, in Berlin, WI. Together they built a life rooted in hard work, family, and the joy of simple things.

After high school, Don explored several jobs, but one early favorite was working at JF Warnke and Sons Building Center. He later spent six years at Speed Queen in Ripon, where he also learned the craft of auto body repair, a skill that shaped the rest of his career. In 1970, Don opened Don’s Auto Body in Germania, WI, beginning a lifelong passion for cars, craftsmanship, and honest work. In 1977, Don and Marilyn moved with their children, James and Sheri, to Richford, where they founded Don’s Auto Sales. Don expanded the business in 1988, moving the car lot to downtown Wautoma. He loved the rhythm of buying and selling cars, especially the excitement of car auctions. After retiring from the lot in 2004, Don embraced a life split between winters in Laughlin, Nevada, and summers in Wisconsin. He enjoyed casino evenings, warm desert weather, and spending summers restoring old tractors, a hobby that brought him both challenge and joy.

In his final years, Don was lovingly supported by his fiancée, Sharon A. Strahota, whose care, devotion, and companionship brought him comfort, peace, and happiness.

Don will be remembered for his work ethic, his love of cars and tractors, his dry humor, and the steady, dependable way he cared for the people he loved. His legacy lives on in the family he cherished and the community he served.

Those Don leaves behind to cherish his memory are his fiancée, Sharon A. Strahota; his daughter, Sheri (Joseph) Gleason; brother, Roger (Debbie Klekot) Zanto; a large extended family of grandchildren who adored him; other relatives and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Minnie Zanto; his beloved wife of 39 years, Marilyn (Stowell) Zanto, and his son, James Zanto.

 A private burial will take place at the Richford Cemetery at a later date. Please visit our website www.wachholzandsons.com to send a condolence or to share a memory of Don with his family.

Wachholz and Sons Funeral Home

Sunset Cremation Center in Princeton

Serving the Family, 920-295-6631

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