Donna M. Spencer

Donna Mae (Freerksen) Spencer passed away peacefully at her home with her husband Chuck by her side on Friday, November 24, 2006 at the age of 68. Donna was born on February 15, 1938 in Greene, IA. She graduated from high school in May 1956 in McIntire, IA, and began her married life with Charles Spencer on August 1, 1956. Among various other jobs and being a homemaker, her favorite was driving school bus for the Lewiston-Altura School District for 17 years with the reward of many students thinking she was top-notch. For several years during the summer, she also drove the special-needs children to Winona for school or work and put her heart and soul into those individuals. Donna was the type of person who throughout the years offered her hand to many friends and family, often sacrificing her own wellbeing. Donna's missed calling was a small-animal vet as she could save almost any animal her kids or neighbor kids drug in that was on its deathbed. At home she enjoyed gardening, reading, visiting on the phone, watching cooking shows on TV, and baking. She was preceded in death by three sons, Jay, Dale, and Rick (Marlene); her parents Lydia & Donald Freerksen, and her mother & father-in-law Letha & Rodney Spencer. Leaving behind those to carry on with her memory include Chuck, her husband of 50 years; her son Mark; Loretta Rathert; her daughter Carrie (Jason) Speltz; her daughter-in-law Marlene (Mike) Messenger; her grandchildren Erica (Nate) Hanson, Travis Spencer, AJ Carpenter-Spencer, Eric Schneider, and Raelynn, Jaynah, & Spencer Speltz; her brothers Larry (Elaine) Freerksen of rural LeRoy; Glenn (Carol Langdon) of Ostrander; Dick (MaryAnn) of rural LeRoy, and her sister Shirley (Orville) Clark of Rochester; as well as all those special little people who frequently visited her at home. A living-room style gathering will take place in her honor at Hoff Funeral Home in Lewiston, MN on Wednesday, November 29, 2006 from 4-8 p.m. Please feel to share a memory of Donna with the family or sign the online guestbook at: www.hofffuneral.com