SPRING VALLEY, Minn. – Donn Lee Kreofsky, 61, of Spring Valley, formerly of Kellogg, who started Lark Toys in 1982, died at home of acute heart failure. He and his wife started the Lark enterprise in their garage. Over 25 years it grew into a manufacturer of handmade toys sold nationwide. He designed and built an exquisite chisel-carved working Carousel and created the largest specialty retail toy store in North America – a tourist attraction. He attended school in Plainview and graduated from St. Felix High School in Wabasha in1967. He graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree and from the University of Minnesota with a master’s degree in fine arts in 1982. Between 1973 and 1978 he taught photography and studio arts at Winona State University and Saint Mary’s University. His family remembers his joy in seeing children’s eyes when they first saw his Lark carousel before riding it. As “toymaster,” he delighted in demonstrating his jumping spider trick toy, his paper snake, and his bagel with cockroach. He co-founded Mississippi Valley Partners to promote regional tourism. In 2008 Lark was sold to a new family. In retirement in Spring Valley he drove for Red Cross mobile meals.
1941-2010