Donna Leimkuhl

Donna Leimkuhl, 86 of Waubay died on Saturday, June 7, 2014 at Sanford Hospital in Webster. Her funeral will be at 10:00 A.M. Wednesday, June 11, 2014 at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Waubay, Rev. Larry Johnson will officiate. Burial will be in Lakewood Cemetery at Waubay. Visitation will be at the funeral homer on Tuesday 5-7 P.M. ending with a 7 P.M. prayer service. Visitation will continue on Wednesday at the church. Donna Rose Youngers was born on Saturday, June 2, 1928 with a twin sister at Zenda, Kansas to Lawrence N. and Christina Mary (Zrubek) Youngers. She attended grade school at Willowdale, Kansas and graduated from Planeview High School at Wichita, Kansas in 1946. She worked for Ben Franklin Store until September when she was employed by Southwestern Bell Telephone Company as a long distance operator, she resigned in 1952 after holding positions as Service Assistant and Instructor. She married Dean Leimkuhl on November 15, 1952 at Wichita, Kansas. After their marriage the couple made their home near Waubay on a farm until 1978 when they moved to Waubay. They raised a family of three girls and two boys. Donna began working for Northwestern Bell Telephone Company in Webster as an operator in 1957. In 1960 she became a service representative and in 1973 she became manager of the Webster office. She also worked as a test center supervisor in the Watertown and Aberdeen telephone offices. She retired on April 14, 1983 with thirty three years of service. Dean passed away on November 22, 2000. After his death she continued to live in Waubay. She was a lifetime member of the American Legion Auxiliary of Waubay, holding many local offices and also was District Four President in 1988 and 1989. She was State Chairman of the Auxiliary Emergency Fund in 2001. She also was a member of the Webster V.F.W. Auxiliary. She was a Waubay City Council member for many years and helped start the Waubay Area Community Club. She was a member of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church where she belonged to the Ladies Aid where she was Secretary and Chairman of the Ruth Circle. She was a member of the Waubay Senior Citizens where she was a former President and Secretary and was President of the Board of Directors of the Area IV Senior Citizens Planning Council, Inc. She was a member of the Day County Museum Board, serving as Vice President and President, the Waubay Housing Committee where she served as Secretary for several years, the Tuesday Literary Club serving as Secretary, Vice President and President, a lifetime member of the Telephone Company Pioneers, the Red Hat Revelers of Webster, she was a correspondent for the Report and Farmer and the Waubay Clipper for several years, the Lakeside Learners Club, was a Hospice Volunteer and was a former member of the Florence and Lily Square Dancers Club. Donna passed away on Saturday, June 7, 2014 at Webster, South Dakota at the age of 86 years and 5 days. She is survived by three daughters, Michelle (Lee) Thole of Brooklyn Park, MN, Vicky (Ed) Lauseng of Watertown, SD and Brenda (Lorn) Locke of Sioux Falls, SD; two sons, Ryan Leimkuhl of Aberdeen, SD and Darrell Leimkuhl of Watertown, SD; thirteen grandchildren, six great granddaughters and 7 great grandsons; three sisters, Jacqueline Brownell of Statsburg, NY, Elsie (Leo) Kimminau of Tucson, AZ and Betty (Virgil) Pugh of Colwich, KS; two brothers, Peter (Jeanne) Youngers of Sterling, CO and Billy Youngers of Colorado Springs, CO; sisters-in-law, Doris Kohlhoff of Watertown, SD , Norma Jean Richardt of Waubay, SD and Bettie Youngers of Colorado Springs, CO; and very close friends, Kathleen Fromelt and Jenny Bisgard. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, her twin sister, six brothers-in-law and three sisters-in-law.