Donna Mae Weis, age 86, of Valley City, ND, died Tuesday, March 31st at HIA Hospice Heather's House in Fargo, ND.  A funeral service will be held at 10:30 AM on Thursday, April 9th at Trinity Lutheran Church in Valley City.  Visitation will be held on Wednesday from 6:00 PM until 7:00 PM at the church.  A prayer service will be held at 7:00 PM Wednesday evening at the church.  Interment will be in St. Michael's Cemetery in Sioux Falls, SD at 1:00 PM on Friday, April 10th.  An online guestbook and livestream of Donna's service will be available at www.lerudmathias.com.  Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Traditions Funeral Service, Lerud Mathias Funeral Home, Valley City, ND.

DonnaMae Weis was born on May 7, 1939, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota (MN) to Floyd and Jennie Hoshal.  She was the youngest of eight children.  Fun fact at the time of her birth, Judy Garland presented all expecting mothers in that hospital with a rose.  She was baptized and confirmed in her faith at the Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod) in Marble, MN.  All throughout her life, her faith was very strong and unwavering.  In fact, when Lynn and I were growing up and we needed to research religious information, mom was who we went to.  She never deviated from her faith and was exceedingly resolute.  I remember attending both Mass and her services.  When I complained she said, "It didn't hurt or kill you!"  This was very typical of mom.  She was accepting of our faith and regularly interacted with a couple of priests.  Mom, Fr. Kadlec, and Fr. Kuhn had many wonderful conversations about faith, confirmation, religion, and other topics.  Many cases mom would come out on top.  This is a testament to her faith and acceptance of all.

She attended school in Marble and Coleraine, MN.  She worked very hard in school and graduated from Greenway High School in 1957.  She was very good in Math, which served her well later in life.  Her work ethic not only was exemplified in school but also in life.  She was very attentive to detail and completed her tasks correctly on the first try.   After graduating high school, she started working at 1st National Bank in Minneapolis cancelling processed payroll checks.  While working at the bank, she stayed at the girl's club in Minneapolis and paid $66 a month for room and board.  She always reminded me to stop complaining because it could be worse.  She enjoyed her time at the bank.  After a while, she decided to change careers and wanted to become a nurse.  She entered nurse's training at Sioux Valley Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (SD).  Upon completion, she graduated with a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) degree.  She continued to work at Sioux Valley until 1970.  While in Sioux Falls, she was set up on a blind date with Frank Weis.  She spoke about the fact that the first time he arrived, her roommate answered the door wearing shorts.   He immediately turned around to leave, but her roommate stopped him.  They went out and went to a burger joint for their first meal.  He bought two super slops (Called back in the day, equivalent to Whoppers or Big Macs), and she refused to eat either one.  They continued to date for a brief time, and on April 11, 1970, they were united in marriage at the Catholic Church in Marble, MN.

After they were married, they moved to Huron, SD.  DonnaMae stayed home, and Frank worked for the Federal Government.  They welcomed their first child, Lynn Marie, on February 22, 1971.  Sixteen short months later, on June 10, 1972, Douglas Paul was born.  They all resided in Huron until 1978, when they moved to Valley City, North Dakota (ND).  DonnaMae worked at Mercy Hospital for many years.  She was a dedicated LPN and ward clerk.  She also worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant at the Sheyenne Care Center.  She retired at the age of 70 in 2009.  She remained in Valley City after her retirement.  She enjoyed traveling, playing games, baking, and talking with everyone.  She will be remembered for her famous rice krispie bars, and adding coconut and cinnamon to her delicious meals.  She will be sorely missed.

She is survived by her son, Douglas, brothers Gary and Dale, sister Alene, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.  She is preceded in death by her husband Frank, daughter Lynn, her parents, Floyd and Jennie, brothers Julian,  Earl, Wayne, and sister Colleen.