Donna West

Donna Lee (Wilson) West, daughter of Donald Samuel Wilson & Elizabeth Celene (Drorbaugh) Wilson, was born June 29, 1944, in Battle Creek, Michigan. When Donna was just a few days old they moved to the Carolinas where Don was stationed in the Army.

Donna graduated from Lenox High School in May of 1961. She was united in marriage to Dean West. To this union, 3 children were born: Gary, Larry & Joni. They later divorced. Donna remained on the farm where she raised large vegetable & beautiful flower gardens. In the summer months she spent many hours working outside in the gardens which led to countless hours in the kitchen both canning & freezing what she could for the coming year. But more important than raising her gardens was the pride she took in being a Mom & teaching her family the values learned on the farm. When the boys were restless, she would encourage them to run around the house. When they returned, she would tell them they needed to go around again, but this time faster, hoping to wear them out. She knew the importance of keeping the kids active both on & off the farm. She never missed a sporting event or play or musical performance. As she gained grand & great grand kids, she followed their activities until her health limited her travel. Those kids became the center of her universe.

Donna was active in her Church & community. She was a Sunday School/VBS teacher, UYF leader, treasurer, AD Council member, Mary Martha Circle leader & helped organize many dinners at the Prescott & Corning churches. It wasn’t a Church dinner in Corning without her famous cream puffs. She was a room mother throughout the school days & went on many field trips with the kids. She helped organize & run the concession stand for various events & even took on the task of making new curtains for the stage at the Prescott School. Donna was a leader for the Royals Workers 4-H Club, organizing the monthly meetings & 4-H tour each year before the Adams County fair. She was superintendent for the Family & Consumer Science & Visual Arts building for 6-7 years, cheerfully volunteering her time. In 2020, Donna was inducted into the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame. Each August Donna enjoyed spending days with her cousin Marilyn walking every inch of the Iowa State Fair grounds they could cover. They enjoyed time resting on a bench under a shade tree as much as exploring the grounds. When the kids were in school, Donna enjoyed taking part in Ladies Aid at Salem Church of the Brethren & Club with the ladies around the neighborhood. If you didn’t know, Donna was a people person & very social.

As the kids grew older, Donna began to teach classes through Adult Ed, sharing her knowledge of sewing & food preparation. She also gave presentations on container gardening when she could. She was then on to the next challenge in her life: earning her college degree. Her first semester at SWCC she enrolled in a few accounting classes to see if she could balance taking classes, raising a family & helping on the farm. With the encouragement of some devoted instructors, she transferred after 3 semesters to NWMSU where she would earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Ag Business. While she was still taking classes, she was approached to run for Adams County Auditor, which meant campaigning while studying, all while driving back & forth daily to classes in Maryville, Missouri. With an abundance of determination, she was elected Auditor & took her oath of office January 2, 1985. While serving in office she was active with Corning Ambassadors, Rotary, Main Street, Chamber of Commerce, Midwest Opportunities. She was a devoted county employee making sure to be available to anyone who wanted to speak with her. She would stay in that position until she took a job in January 2006 as Deputy Auditor in Pottawatamie County, retiring in December 2011. She was so excited to have more time with family, to be there for them whenever they needed her. Walks at Lake Icaria & paddle boating on the lake along with an occasional pontoon ride or picnic was one of her favorites. She also helped deliver Meals on Wheels to Corning residents & was treasurer for the Rose Ann’s Auxilary. What started out as being a substitute to a group of ladies’ cards turned into a permanent player of Hand & Foot.

Donna was a talented seamstress, able to follow a pattern or make a pattern of her own. She made beautiful quilts, crafty items, wedding dresses & bridesmaids dresses. She shared her talents with 4-H kids or others who wanted to learn the art. She had so much patience & even enjoyed sewing with Joni on her lap when she was little. She thoroughly enjoyed week-end sewing retreats with the Sew Sweet group in Creston, although in the end she enjoyed the conversation & not as much sewing.

When she moved from the farm in Prescott to town living in Corning, she adapted from her flower gardens to flower pots, growing the most gorgeous flowers each summer. She liked to grow plants beyond the basic flower types, with her steps being overgrown with beautiful flowering plants. Her grandkids always told her it was like walking through a jungle. She also donated her time & talents to planting flowers on Corning’s Main Street, volunteering to water when she could.

Though Donna had several health issues in the past year, her faith, family & friends kept her going & was her inspiration to keep fighting. She will forever be our Mamma Bear, as we affectionately called her, watching over her Baby Bears. We will miss her saying “oh piffuls” & “Be safe now. Text me when you get home.” We know with Mom watching over us, we will be as fine as frog hair, and that is awesome blossom.

Donna is survived by her sons Gary (Shelly) West of Prescott, children Travis (Michelle) West (Ava, Mason, Cecilia, Theo), Michael (Hannah) West (Jordy, Carson, McKenna) & Ashley (Chris) Cadle (Addison, Aurora, Alivia); Larry (Angie) West of Creston, sons Brian West & Tyler (Jenna) West (Easton & Allie); & daughter Joni (Randy) Cook of Creston sons Ryan (Stephanie) Cook, Kaleb Cook & Jacob (Briana) Cook; brother Mick (Paula) Wilson of Hartsburg, Missouri; & sister Angie (Dale) Maassen of Avoca, Iowa along with cousins, nieces & nephews.

Donna was preceded in death by her parents Don & Betty Wilson & her father & mother-in-law Lester & Cecile West.

Left to carry on the Lee middle name are Larry Lee, Brian Lee, Easton Lee, Travis Lee, Mason Lee & Ryan Lee.