Donna Lee Young, devoted wife of 35 years to Larry Whalen, mother to 2 children, Tammy (53) of Mecosta, Michigan and Troy (49) of Surprise, Arizona; 4 grandchildren Gage (23), Emily (22), Mason (21) and Alyssa (21), passed away Thursday, January 9, 2025, surrounded by her family, and leaving a void her family cannot possibly ever fill.

She was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota on June 12, 1952 to Donald and Rozella Walz which she shared with 3 sisters, Kathy Dempsey, Carol Pietrzak and Darla Gobernatz, all of Minnesota.

Donna was a devoted mother to Tammy and Troy, whom she texted every day a single heart and a sign of the day's weather forecast, and called every singe Sunday and answered "whatcha doin?  Just doin' my Sunday Call" and would end the conversation with                       " I love you more!"

She took special pride in her grandchildren Emily, Alyssa, Gage and Mason.  She bragged about her grandchildren going to nursing school, being a firefighter, being a Marine and an electrician.

Donna had a special place in her heart for animals and kids. She and Larry always donated to St. Jude's, the animal shelter and a local church.  Donna was the type of person who did the right thing and would give the shirt off her back for someone in need.

She could always be found in the kitchen trying a new recipe, loved making soups and had a particular interest in crock pot cooking.  She spent days doing crafts of diamond dots, plastic canvas projects or sewing. No one in the neighborhood could match her gardening skills where she grew tomatoes, peppers and onions to make homemade salsa, just to name a few things.  Her rose bushes were glorious and were always the most desired flowers in the neighborhood.  She was always giving food away that she prepared to the neighbors and enjoyed sharing and seeing a smile.  Her collection of angels gave her peace in knowing someday she would also have her wings to look forward to.

She is preceded in death by her father, Donald and sister,  Carol whom we are sure met her when she arrived, and probably headed to the Heavenly Casino in the sky for a poker tournament and is still winning big.

Donna will never know the amount of love, support and caring she brought to the lives of her family, her friends, and the world around her.  She will be missed every single day of our lives, and the daily heart text messages will always be looked for, or the daily phone calls will always be waiting to be heard.  So, when you hear us end our phone conversation with    " I love you more ", just know it came from Donna saying goodbye and I'll talk to you again soon.   We love you, we miss you, and we will see you again someday. Watch over us until then .