Obituaries 26 July 2022

Donna Lee Murray, 69

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Donna Lee Murray, age 69 of Sumner, died Monday, July 18, 2022, at UnityPoint Health-Allen Memorial Hospital in Waterloo.

A Memorial Mass was held at 11 a.m. Friday, July 22, 2022, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Church in Lawler with the Rev. Henry Huber officiating. 

Inurnment was held at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic Cemetery in Lawler.

Friends greeted the family from 9:30 to 11 a.m. prior to the Memorial Mass on Friday at the church.

Donna was born on Jan. 28, 1953, to James and Florian (Nosbisch) Murray In New Hampton, and she was the third born child of the couple’s four children.

She grew up in Lawler, where she developed a lifelong love for art and animals, especially dogs. Donna first attended Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Catholic School before moving on to Turkey Valley, where she was a member of the Class of 1972.

After graduating, Donna attended Upper Iowa University and Mason City Cosmetology College before accepting a job as a caregiver at the Woodward State Hospital near Des Moines, where she worked for 34 years. Donna always loved helping people, and she enjoyed working with her patients and fellow employees at the hospital. When she retired, she moved to Fredericksburg to be closer to her family.

Donna loved working with ceramics and made many beautiful pieces for her family. She also enjoyed her flowers and being with her dogs throughout her life. She had a heart of gold and loved talking and visiting with people, often starting a conversation with that trademark Donna line, “What’s new?”

She never married, but she was a great aunt to her nieces and nephews and an even greater aunt to their children.

Donna touched many lives during her time with us, and her faith tells us that today she is in a better place, still helping people and starting a chat with “what’s new?”

She is survived by her brother, James (Linda) Murray of Waucoma; her sister, Bonnie Murray of Decorah; nieces and nephews, Mitchell (Meagan) Murray of Lawler, Kyle (Tonya) Murray of Waucoma, Jeremy (Rachel) Murray of Norwood Young America, Minnesota, Laura (Shawn) Hogle of Pleasant Hill, Jennifer (Keith) Golly of Altoona, Kari Horton of North Liberty; and David (Hanna Lunde) Horton of Oceanside, California; a number of great-nieces and great-nephews; and a brother-in-law, Gary Horton of Clarion.

Donna was preceded in death by her parents and one sister, Patricia Horton.

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