Don McCaskill

(From Fohn Funeral Home)

Don Ray McCaskill was born at the family home in Howard County, Arkansas, near Dierks, on January 28, 1947. Don died on August 29, 2026, surrounded by his family, at Circle of Life Hospice in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Don was raised in the country and nurtured by his parents Hubert and Gladys (Westbrook) McCaskill. Additionally, he had the love and guidance of two sets of grandparents, Olan and May (Wynn) Westbrook and Matt and Effie (Justus) McCaskill, and great-grandmother Lucy (Watson) Wynn, all of whom lived nearby. During his growing up years, he loved to explore the Piney Woods surrounding his home, where he fished in the creeks and picked up arrowheads from his grandfather’s freshly plowed field. He was active in 4-H and was chosen to represent his county on a trip to Washington, DC, where they toured government buildings, met with their Arkansas congressman, and visited monuments and museums. It was a trip that opened Don’s eyes to the big world outside of Dierks. 

Don graduated from Dierks High School in 1965, earning the title of salutatorian for his senior class. He then chose to attend the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville to continue his education. While there, he majored in Agronomy, joined Alpha Gamma Rho social fraternity, and was elected president of the Agri Students Association. He was also selected for membership in Omicron Delta Kappa, an exclusive American National Leadership Honor Society that recognizes superior scholarship and exemplary character in collegiate and community life. After receiving his B.S. in Agronomy in 1969, Don joined the burgeoning Department of Food Science at the U of A. In 1972, he earned an M.S. in Food Science from that department under the guidance of Dr. Justin Morris. While at the U of A, Don met his future wife Linda Jane King. They were married in Cassville, Missouri, on September 6, 1969.

After completing his education, Don accepted a job with Steele Canning Company in Springdale, Arkansas. A few years later, he took a job with Kane Miller Corporation and moved to the Eastern Shore of Maryland. The family, which by this time had grown to include daughters Wynne and Ashlee, settled in the small, historic town of Hillsboro (est. circa 1784) on the Tuckahoe River. Remembering his excitement visiting Washington, DC, as a member of 4-H, Don ensured that he and Linda made frequent trips with their girls to visit all of the monuments, museums, and government buildings at the nation’s capital. Especially exciting for the girls was a trip to Pennsylvania Avenue to watch the Inaugural Parade for President Ronald Regan in 1980.

The family relocated back to Arkansas when Don accepted a position with Riceland Foods in Stuttgart, Arkansas. Learning about rice growing and processing was an exciting challenge for Don, and by the time of his retirement he had become an expert in the field of rice processing and was known around the country as “Mr. Rice.” He traveled across the country and around the world representing Riceland Foods and promoting their rice products. During his tenure at Riceland Foods, Don also served the state and national food science industry. He was an active member of the Ozark Food Processors Association and served as its president for a period. In 2006, Don was selected as Outstanding Alumnus for the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food & Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas. Don retired from Riceland Foods in 2012, at this point holding the position of Vice-President for Research and Development and having several U.S. patents under his belt.

Throughout his life, Don continued to be active in his local community, harkening back to the ODK honor he received in college. He served as editor for the Museum of the Grand Prairie newsletter, a deacon in the First Presbyterian Church in Stuttgart, Arkansas, and member of the Mustard Seed Group. Membership in Mustard Seed was especially important to him, as in addition to fellowship, the group was dedicated to combating hunger both locally and abroad. In retirement, he continued to fight hunger locally by supporting the food bank associated with the First Presbyterian Church in Bentonville, Arkansas, where he and Linda were members.

Personally, Don was a quiet and gentle man, much like his father. He never bragged or boasted about his accomplishments. He never disparaged others. He stood up for the rights and recognition of the employees that reported to him. He was a generous financial supporter of the Presbyterian Church, food banks, animal welfare organizations, and other groups that aligned with his ideology of protecting and assisting the less fortunate. He treated all people with respect and believed in equality for everyone regardless of gender, race, religion, or nationality. He was non-confrontational and chose to support his beliefs quietly, letting his actions speak for him. He found ostentatious displays of wealth and power troubling, especially considering so many people in our world cannot meet their basic needs of food, clothing, and shelter.

During retirement in Southwest Missouri, Don enjoyed working in his garden, growing flowers, shrubs, and trees on the small acreage he and Linda named Laurel Ridge. He fed the birds and delighted in watching the visiting wildlife. He walked his land with his canine companions Sassy Wiggles, JJ, and Lucy, observing and appreciating the natural world around him, much as he did as a child in the Ouachita Mountains of Southern Arkansas. 

Don will be forever missed by Linda, his wife of 57 years, and his daughters, Wynne Waddell (of Centerton, Arkansas) and Ashlee McCaskill (of Dahlonega, Georgia). He is also survived by his granddaughter, Emma Waddell, son-in-law, Lloyd Waddell, and niece, Krista Cannon Coats and her husband Jason. His extended family by marriage includes sisters-in-law, Janice Benson and Linda King, and nieces and nephews, Melinda Giardi and her husband Guy, Shannon King and her wife Kate, Travis King and his wife Kelli, Jeff Rude and his wife Jill, and Chris Rudd and his wife Kelly. Don was preceded in death by his parents, Hubert and Gladys, mother-in-law, Edna King, sister, Joan (McCaskill) Cannon and her husband Wesley, nephew, Eric Cannon, brothers-in-law, Charles King and Stanley King, and son-in-law, Christopher Lins.

A private family memorial will be held at a later date, and Don’s ashes will be interred at Spring River Cemetery in Verona, Missouri. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made in his memory to your local food bank.

Cremation arrangements are under direction of Fohn Funeral Home in Cassville.