Donna Mae (Finnestad) Seldal was called home to heaven on January 5, 2024.  Donna was born May 12, 1935, in Afton Township, IL, the second of four girls born to Marvin and Gladys Finnestad.  Growing up in rural DeKalb, Donna learned at a young age how to cook, bake, sew, knit, embroider, garden, can fruits and vegetables, and drive a tractor, among other life skills.  She met Cliff, her husband of 68 years, on the school bus at age 15.  They dated throughout high school, and after graduating, she worked briefly as a secretary at the DeKalb Ag, went on to Bible School, and waited until Cliff came back from Marine Corp. service in Korea, marrying at age 20.

Donna's life revolved around family, home-cooked meals, gardening, working in the office of her husband's plumbing business, family vacations, hosting many family gatherings, serving at church her whole life, singing for many years in the church choir and The Grace Notes Trio, spending countless hours knitting afghans, sewing blankets and embroidering for the people in her life and being the driving force for her children to learn music.  So many of her passions were handed down to her children simply by example.

19 years ago Donna was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.   By staying active she was able to fend off the adverse effects for many of those years.   However, the past few years have been challenging, and for the last 6 months, Donna was given 24-hour care by her daughter Amy and son-in-law Mark in their home.   There are not enough words to express the love and gratitude we have for Amy and her care of Mom.

We were also blessed to have the staff of Vitas Healthcare as our hospice team during the past year.  A special thank you to Alena, Lisa, and Sarah for their tender care and emotional support.

Donna was preceded in death by her infant daughter Dorine; parents, Marvin and Gladys; and two sisters, Joyce Allen and Marion Pembroke.  Those mourning her passing include husband Cliff; daughters Karen Hannan and Amy (Mark) Clemens Ingram; son Roger (Barb) Seldal; eight grandchildren, Nolan (Anne) Hannan, Brooke Hannan, Ryan Hannan, Josh (Sarah) Seldal, Jacob Seldal, Leslie (Alex) Seldal, Samuel Clemens, Shelby Clemens; seven great-grandchildren; and sister Judith (Larry) Swanson of Oakdale, MN.

Visitation will be held Saturday, January 13, from 12:30-2:00 pm at Grace Free Lutheran Church, 1121 So. 1st Street, DeKalb, followed by a service with Pastor Mike Hodge officiating.

Arrangements were completed by the Butala Funeral Home in Sycamore, IL. To sign the online guest book, go to www.butalafuneralhomes.com