Donna Smith
October 27, 1947 ~ November 17, 2019
Donna Smith, 72, of Marion, passed away Sunday, November 17, 2019, at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City. Celebration of Life Gathering: 2-5 p.m. Saturday, November 23, 2019, at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Marion.
Survivors include her husband, Dan; children, Phil (Tiffany) Smith, Lisa (Pete) Gordon, and Candice Smith (Adam Witte); grandchildren, Rachel Gordon (Will Sheldon) and Maxwell Gordon (Denise Perez); sisters, Sharon Klein-Wilson and Judy (Russell) Kershaw; several extended, but close, family members; and many girlfriends who joined her in traveling and lunches.
Donna Rae Klein was born October 27, 1947, in Eldora, Iowa, to George H. and Joan (Pagel) Klein. She attended Denison High School, graduating in 1966. She married Daniel Smith on February 15, 1969, in Oelwein. Donna and Dan enjoyed raising their three children, attending their activities'especially baseball games, and spending time together as a family. Donna enjoyed reading to her children, even eerie books like 'Hauntings: Tales of the Supernatural'; she was known to let them buy books over toys any day. Donna began working for Linn-Mar Community Schools in the printing department, eventually becoming the manager of the department. She truly enjoyed working at Linn-Mar, made many friends, and was well-loved by colleagues and students alike. Donna retired in 2011 after about 30 years of humble work.
She was a life-long Catholic and member of St. Joe's Church in Marion. Donna loved visiting small towns across Iowa with her friends, who would find activities to do and local restaurants to visit on their trips. She could be found reading true crime and mystery books, visiting casinos such as Riverside and Meskwaki, watching sports, especially the Iowa Hawkeyes and Chicago Cubs, attending and supporting her grandchildren's activities. Donna cherished her husband, children, and grandchildren; they miss her dearly.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
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One of the weirdest days of my childhood… Mom used to put her hair in curlers every Wednesday, so she was always grumpy when we got home from school. My sister and I could always see the great big hairdryer through the living room window as we got off the bus and KNEW she had curlers in. One day, we saw the hairdryer just like normal, but as we walked through the front door we could smell chocolate chip cookies. It was almost like Mom had two personalities that day!
I worked with Donna for many years at Linn-Mar. She was a wonderful lady – she always had a positive attitude and was watching out for my errors when I sent a print shop order. I was so sorry to hear of her passing. We need more Donna Smiths in this world. Keeping her family close in thought and prayer. Susan Knight
Donna will be remembered by the entire staff at Linn-Mar, not only for the excellent work she turned out but also because she was the kind of person who could be counted on to fulfill any type of request made of her. She was an excellent employee and an asset to the Linn-Mar School District and the entire Linn-Mar Community. It was a genuine pleasure to have worked with Donna. Prayers, Dave DeWalle