Donna Raye Lee

Donna Lee, 77, of Louisburg, KS passed away on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, at 10 pm after a year long battle with cancer.

Visitation will be held from 10:00 am to 11:00 am, Thursday, March 23, 2023, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 606 S Elm St., Louisburg, KS 66053. Mass will take place at 11:00 am. Burial will take place at the Louisburg Cemetery following the mass. For those who would like to stay, a luncheon will be served in the church basement after the burial.

Donna is survived by her mother, Dorothy Wood (98), her siblings; Jim (Sandy) Wood, Ron (Judy) Wood, Tammie (Dave) Thompson, her two children; Michael (Andi) Lee, Michelle (Kevin) Vanderweide, and her four grandchildren; Mackenzi and Braden Lee, Sophie and Eli Vanderweide.

Donna was born on August 2, 1945, and lived with her parents and siblings on a farm south of Louisburg. It was a tight knit family with large extended family gatherings on the farm. The Wood family was a house full of love, laughter, storytelling and lots of shenanigans. Donna and her siblings still tell stories of these days which always brings a room full of laughter.

After earning her high school diploma from Louisburg high school, she married David Lee on June 6, 1964. They bought a small farm in Paola, KS where they kept a few cows, pigs, ducks, dogs, and chickens. Donna loved animals and even took her baby pig back and forth to work in downtown Kansas City to care for it! They later moved from this small farm to Louisburg to be closer to her family.

After high school, Donna started working at IBM as a switchboard operator. She worked at IBM for almost 30 years, working her way to administrative assistant for some of the most generous of leaders. She retired from IBM and started her entrepreneurial career of owning a small floral shop and co-owning a liquor store with her brother and his wife in Louisburg. She loved owning and working at the liquor store because she loved people and always said everyone that came into the shop was very social and talkative, which described Donna to a T. Donna later sold the floral and liquor stores and started a career as a real estate agent in Louisburg. Donna retired from her real estate career only a few years ago at the age of 75.

Donna was raised in the Catholic religion and loved her faith. She and her daughter, Michelle, often had passionate debates and Donna never strayed from her beliefs. Donna loved working hard not only at her job but at home and for her family. She loved doing crafts with her grandchildren, making delicious meals for them and watching them play sports. Donna loved gardening with her husband and seeing new flowers bloom each spring. Most of all, Donna loved socializing, laughing and telling stories. She had an infectious and cheerful laugh - you always knew she was in the room even before you could see her.

Donna will be missed by so many but we know she is in heaven, reunited with her husband, her dad and so many loved ones, all telling stories and laughing together.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church or the American Legion Post 250, c/o Dengel & Son Mortuary, PO Box 669, Louisburg, KS 66053.