Don Carlos Dayton Iii

Don Carlos Dayton III, 86, passed away June 16, 2017, at EIRMC due to a lingering illness. He was a beloved husband and father.  Born August 24, 1930 to Don Carlos Dayton and Emma Lavon Shosted Dayton in Twin Groves, Fremont County, Idaho, where he grew up.  After the 8th grade, he went to work for Parkinson Farm in Teton, Idaho. At age 17, he joined the U.S. Navy and served from 1947 to 1951 during the Korean War. He returned to Ashton, ID and started working for Powerline Construction. He met the love of his life, Martha Peabody at the Snack Bar in Ashton.  They married the 25th of April, 1953, then moved to Oregon where they spent two years, working and building powerlines.  The second year there, they started their family.  In April of 1955 they returned home to take a job with Teton Valley Power and Mill (T.V.P. & M) in Driggs, Idaho.  He took care of power outages, fixed televisions, electronics, and other problems.  He went to school at nights at Ricks College earning his Electricians License.  Fall River Rural Electric bought T.V.P. & M in 1960 and Don became their Consumer Representative.  He retired in January of 1993.  They lived in Driggs for 47 years. Don and Martha served an 18-month service mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as Chaplin’s at the Teton Valley Hospital in Driggs, ID. Following their service, they moved to St. Anthony, ID to take care of his 96-year-old mother.  He was very handy and could do most anything he set his mind to.  He remodeled his home in Driggs and later remodeled houses for his children.  When family members built new houses, he did the wiring for them.  He loved helping and serving others. In 2003 Don was diagnosed with colon cancer, the next year with prostate cancer, then in 2013 he was remodeling an old pop up camper for his family, when he cut 4 of his fingers off in a table saw accident; a few months later, he had a major stroke. With his health failing, he was in and out of hospitals until his death.  He was always very positive and upbeat even during these difficult circumstances. Don was noted for his hamburger cook outs and very delicious pancake breakfasts on the patio. He loved to go camping with his family.  He enjoyed riding and breaking horses and taking family and friends on horse pack trips near the Tetons.  He often spent time golfing with family and friends, and was usually the one who sank the final putt to win the match. Don was often heard saying, "I'll beat you in a game of marbles!" He and Martha spent many evenings playing marbles together.   He loved to spend time with his family, including his grandkids and great-grandkids. Don is survived by his wife, Martha of 64 years and his children, Dirk Lee (Samantha) Dayton of Coeur d’Alene, ID, Dianna Lynn (Stan) Hansen of Livermore, CA, Don Carlos IV (Kellie) of Rexburg, ID and Roseann (Drue) Kunz of Smith Field, Utah. His siblings; Ramona Marchant, Everett (Shirline) Dayton, Venoy (Rhonda) Dayton, Shirleen (Steve) Knapp, Maureen (Gary) Jones, Calvin (Lana) Dayton, 15 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents, brother, Larry Dayton, sisters, Donna Lecheminant, and Cleo Rydalch, a grandson, Jaxon Kunz, and 3 brothers-in-law. The family will hold a visitation for family and friends at the St. Anthony Stake Center on July 3, 2017 from 3:00 to 4:00 PM.