Donna Gilbertson
Donna M. Gilbertson, 89, of Waukon died Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse, WI. Funeral services will be held Saturday, March 16 at 11 a.m. at the Waukon Banquet Center with Rev. Ronald Pederson officiating. Burial will be at a later date at West Paint Creek Synod Cemetery, rural Waukon. Friends may call from 4-7 p.m. Friday, March 15 at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon. Memorials can be made to the West Paint Creek Synod Building & Cemetery Fund or to King of Grace Lutheran Church in Waukon.
Donna Mae Gilbertson was born August 5, 1929 in Waukon, the daughter of Lloyd and Mary (Maloney) Campbell. She was baptized at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon and in 1947 graduated from Waukon High School.
June 22, 1948, Donna married Gordon Bakkom Gilbertson at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. They farmed together on the Gilbertson family farm, where Donna helped with milking and baling hay in addition to raising their children. She kept a large garden which she did a lot of canning from. After her kids were grown, she worked at Pamida, Farmers and Merchants Savings Bank and the Allamakee County Recorder’s Office. Donna and Gordon moved into Waukon in 1990.
As a child, Donna belonged to St. Patrick Catholic Church and then after getting married, became a member of West Paint Creek Synod Church and later King of Grace Lutheran, all in Waukon. For many years, she and Gordon took care of the West Paint Creek Synod Cemetery. Donna also did a lot of community volunteer work including at the food shelf and for the “adopt a grandparent” program at the elementary school. She enjoyed growing flowers, playing cards, and doing jigsaw puzzles and crosswords. She loved to bake for her family and had a fondness for birds, especially cardinals. Her family will always remember her as a great mom and grandma.
She is survived by her four children: Gary (Jean) Gilbertson of Waterville, Greg (Sue) Gilbertson of Waukon, Becky (Don) Quijano of Cedar Rapids and Kim (Jerome) Amos of Stewartville, MN; her grandchildren: Amy (Mark Jackson) Gilbertson, Jessie (Adam) Krause, Nick Gilbertson, Luke (Karin Gray) Aswegan, Russ Roe and Dee (John) Heying; her great-grandchildren: Katelyn, Alison and Thomas Heying, and Nora and Mia Krause; a brother, Roger Campbell of Stromsburg, NE; and a sister-in-law, Bonnie Campbell of Cedar Rapids.
Donna was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Gordon, February 15, 2019; a great-grandson, Jacob Heying; a son-in-law, Dave Aswegan; a brother, Jack Campbell; and three sisters-in-law: Ila Campbell, Alta (Nate) Hager and Helen (Walter) Winke.
Honorary casketbearers are Donna’s grandchildren and their spouses and her great-grandchildren. Casketbearers are Luke Aswegan, Kevin Campbell, Nick Gilbertson, Steve Hager, Bryan Willger and Ken Winke.
Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.
