Caleb Donathan “Don” Jeys, Sr.

Scott County in Iowa
Scott County in Iowa
 
Davenport in Scott CountyDavenport in Scott County

Homicide

Don Jeys, Sr.
64 YOA
700 blk West 5th St.
Davenport, IA
Scott County
February 18, 1972

 
 
Caleb Donathan “Don” Jeys, Sr., 64, was shot once in the head at close range with a .32- or .38-caliber handgun late on Friday, February 18, 1972, at his Davenport, Iowa home.

Davenport police said Jeys’ apartment had been ransacked and that a large amount of cash — which Jeys had set aside for the purchase of a new van — was missing.

About Don Jeys

Caleb Donathan Jeys, Sr., was born September 29, 1907 in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, to Lena Mae Cumpston and Joseph Elnathan Jeys. He had eleven siblings that included three brothers: George Otey Jeys, Joseph LeRoy Jeys, and Byron Dale Jeys; and five sisters: Mary R. Jeys Wood, Lena Marguerite Jeys, Alice Harriett Jeys Bock, Jennie Irene Jeys, and Etta Lou Jeys Keele.

In 1925, Don married Vera Lavella Eastwood and they had three children: Caleb “Donn” Donathan Jeys, Jr., Robert Dale Jeys, and Rose Marie Jeys Mayo.

Don worked in management with the L.B. Price Mercantile Company before serving with the United States Navy during World War II. When he returned after the war in 1946, Don married Romelle Foster Ohl and resumed his job with L.B. Price, where he worked up until his murder.

Don Jeys gravestoneCourtesy photo dvrice, findagrave.com
Don Jeys is buried with fellow veterans in the Rock Island Cemetery.

Memorial services were held at a Davenport Catholic church with burial at the Rock Island National Cemetery.

Information Needed

If you have any information regarding Don Jeys’ unsolved murder please contact the Davenport Police Department at 563-326-7979.

Sources:
  • Find a Grave Memorial
  • United States Social Security Death Index
  • United States Census, 1930, Fort Dodge, Webster, Iowa; citing enumeration district (ED) 0035, sheet 7A, family 1, NARA microfilm publication T626, roll 687
  • “Iowa Marriages, 1809–1992,” FamilySearch.org
  • “Iowa, County Marriages, 1838–1934,” FamilySearch.org
  • “Iowa, County Births, 1880–1935,” FamilySearch.org
  • “Cold case murders 1935–2009,” The Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus, March 27, 2010
  • “Found Shot to Death,” The Cedar Rapids Gazette, February 29, 1972
  • “Davenport Man Is Found Dead,” The Des Moines Register, February 20, 1972
Copyright © 2024  Iowa Cold Cases, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

One Response to Don Jeys

  1. Susan Brown says:

    I am wondering about siblings; the article states he had 11 siblings, yet only identifies 8. Also, all the links only repeat the same information found in this article.

Comment Policy

We encourage thoughtful discussion here but ask that comments remain civilized and constructive … i.e. without personal attacks or name-calling. Be respectful of others and remember that victims' family members visit these pages, too. If you'd like to provide us with information regarding a suspect or have other sensitive details to relay, please email us directly. Thank you in advance.

Share Your Thoughts