Donald T. Schofield

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Donald T. Schofield (86) of Chicago Heights passed away on March 30 th , 2023.  Donald fought against cancer for several years and always kept his sense of humor. He was cared for and surrounded by his family when he passed. Donald, fondly known as Don, was born in 1936 to Ruth and Harold Schofield in Chicago Heights IL. He was proceeded in death by wife, Darlis (Webb) of 63 years. He was also proceeded in death by his siblings Betty Foushi and Harold (Sonny)Schofield. He is survived by his children Donald T. Schofield II, Douglas (Sharon Leong) Schofield, and Diane (George) Scott. He was blessed with three grandchildren Franklin Scott, Jessica Schofield, and Samantha Schofield. Donald was a lifetime resident of Chicago Heights. Donald worked for Ford Stamping plant in Chicago Heights for 35 years. Donald was an active Life Member of Moose Lodge of Chicago Heights. Donald served in the army with final rank of specialist 4. He received a good conduct medal. Donald took pride in being honest and helping others. He loved to put on a great party. He enjoyed decorating and dabbling in art.  Donald worked for Ford Stamping plant in Chicago Heights for 35 years. He was a production worker and utility man. He took pride in keeping his lines running smoothly and with reducing scrap. Donald took his breaks right in front of the men on the line. He wanted the men to know he was not hiding on them. He worked with the men on the line to keep floor clean and the line running smoothly. Donald also worked as a relief man. Donald took pride in making sure every man on the line received their breaks. He worked on the cow top line also in door assembly. When he took over the Topas door assembly there were 100 doors on the floor needing repairs. As he worked the line, he was able to reduce doors needing repair to only a few. To keep things running smoothly, he had to do things like preventing workers from putting copper, brass, and other metals in the wrong barrels. Donald took pride in being honest and placed the scrap in the correct barrels. Having only one family car like most people in the winter of 1967, his wife, Darlis drove him to work in the wee morning hours. That day the great snowstorm of 1967 hit the area. Don found himself walking home from Ford stamping plant to his home in Chicago Heights. He told his wife to stay home as he would find his own way home. At stop lights, Donald knocked on car doors and asked if he could warm up. Donald stopped in a little grocery store and asked for a paper bag. He made eye holes and used this on his head to keep warm. Shoveling the driveway is a chore. He took time to make a snow chair for his daughter. Diane was happy and proud to sit on the snow chair. The next day his driveway was cleared of snow. However, his car wouldn’t start, so he opened the hood and found a pile of snow packed into the engine compartment. He had to dig through the snow under the hood to find the spark plugs and clear the snow. On a different line, the boss was asking why the line was running so slowly. Don watched the line for a while and told the foreman there were too many parts on the cycle. Remove every other one on the line. The line sped up. Turned out he was right. Donald was an active Life Member of Moose Lodge of Chicago Heights. Donald was president of the Left Handers at the Moose Lodge. Donald took pride in organizing banquets and scheduling bands for the Moose dinners. Don was the best at acquiring the best bands and bringing in the crowd. He helped organize the Moose Follies. They did short skits and showed their talents. Eventually Donald took early retirement due to the stress from working the line at Ford. Apparently, Ford plant was tremendously loud. He soon had more time to spend with the family and learned a lot of his wife’s crazy jokes. He spent the last few years getting into art projects like painting bird statues and other items. He liked to have a lot of mechanical toys around. Such as singing birds, singing gorilla, talking fish, … He took the most pride in his decorations in the garage.  Donald Schofield will be missed by many.

Visitation Thursday, April 6^th from 3PM to 7PM with a 6PM Service at Kerr-Parzygnot Funeral Home 540 Dixie Hwy. (at Joe Orr Rd.), Chicago Heights, IL 60411. Inurnment:  Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elwood, IL. at a later date.   (708) 754-0016.