Donald Tarr

Donald Tarr, 78, passed away Thursday, November 13, 2025, at Serenity House in Oskaloosa. Donald Dean Tarr, son of Floyd Joseph and Vernice Elma (Seifert) Tarr, was born March 6, 1947, in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He was a 1966 graduate of Oskaloosa High School. On June 10, 1967, he married Carla Kay Goshorn, his high school sweetheart. In his youth, he excelled at football for Oskaloosa High School and starred for then national powerhouse William Penn University, where he is enshrined in the school's Hall of Fame.
As a young man, Don enjoyed camping, pheasant hunting with his younger brother, Dennis, collecting books and records, and teaching his children the constellations and Greek myths. As an adult, Don was a popular teacher at Oskaloosa Junior High, where he taught civics and coached football and basketball for decades.
In retirement, Don and Carla enjoyed the outdoors and following the Lewis and Clark Trail out West. While at home, he enjoyed reading history, feeding wildlife and sharing coffee and sunrises with Carla every morning on their retirement property, which he built on the spot overlooking the Des Moines River where they used to park and make out as teenage sweethearts.
Don's family includes his wife, Carla, his four children: Natalie Tarr of Oskaloosa, Nathan Tarr of Oskaloosa, Adam (Serena) Tarr of Portland, Oregon, and Annah (Paul) Pollock of Oskaloosa; and eleven grandchildren.
In addition to his parents, Don was preceded in death by two brothers and five sisters.
Always a private man, Don will be laid to rest in a private family ceremony. The family requests its privacy in this time of profound grief.