Donna M. Schroeder, of Stanley, ND passed away on Thursday October 20, 2022 at the Mountrail County Bethel Home in Stanley, ND. Springan Stevenson Funeral Home of Stanley is assisting the family. Condolences may be left on this page.

Donna Marie was born on May 4, 1954 in Stanley, ND to Roy and Arlene (Ogden) Rehak. She was raised on a truck garden in Manitou, ND. This was where she earned her green thumb with plants and her love of flowers. Her mother taught her how to can vegetables, a skill Donna was still utilizing up until she became too ill to continue. She is well-known for her pickles and homemade horseradish. She enjoyed attending farmers’ markets to sell her canned items and home-grown vegetables.

Donna attended Josef’s School of Hair in Williston after she graduated from Stanley High School in 1972. It was during that time in Williston where she met and married Jim Kollman in 1973. From that union, they had a daughter, Jeannie and a son, Jimmy. Throughout their marriage, Jim and Donna lived in Fargo, ND, Hinsdale, MT and Williston, ND. They purchased a lake home at Blacktail Dam where many memories were made. One of her biggest and proudest moments was when she pulled in her 8 pound 6 ounce walleye, which earned her a spot in the Whopper Club. She was quite proud of the fact that she could out-fish Jim and was not afraid to brag about it to anyone who would listen to her story!

During her years in Williston, Donna worked at Dee Bee’s clothing store and as a part-time hairdresser. But her most prized years were when she operated her “Luv N Hugs Daycare” out of her home. Donna “co-parented” many kids in the 1980’s and left an impact on so many young lives as they came through her door. Up until her last days on earth, she was still in contact with many of them, who now have families of their own.

Donna would never miss a single event that Jeannie and Jimmy were involved in. She even became a Blue Bird leader and a bowling coach for them both. She also herself enjoyed bowling and made many life-long friends during her league days.

Donna was a woman of many trades. She taught her kids how to be independent and not afraid to tackle a project at home if something needed fixing. This knack made her a valued employee at Coast to Coast in Williston for many years. She loved her job and was well known by many in the community while she worked there. If you needed something rigged, Donna would more-than-likely come up with a way to rig it! She also was able to share her knowledge of her fishing skills with those who would frequent Scenic Sports during the time that she worked there. If you asked her where a good fishing hole was, she would definitely want to give you the directions and even recommend a type of bait or some sort of tackle.

In the summer of 2000, she met the love her of life, Gaylen Schroeder, when she was introduced to him by a mutual friend, Linda Kellel. From the moment they met, they had so much in common, that the two of them became inseparable. Donna and Gaylen united in marriage on March 17, 2001. Together, they formed a blended and blessed family of seven, where she gained two more sons, Jason and Chris, and another daughter, Jennie.

The two of them shared a love for camping and fishing. She was even known to place a time or two in the “Women on Water” fishing tournaments with Gaylen as their boat captain. One of the proudest moments for Donna was the year that their team took first place!

In 2010, Gaylen and Donna bought some land just southwest of Ross. This would not only bring them closer to the lake for quicker access to fishing, but also brought Donna home to rekindle friendships with relatives and loved ones. This land is where they built their dream home together. They endured living in their fifth-wheel camper for a year while she and Gaylen made their dream come true. She was so proud of their homestead! If you were to stop out for a visit, it was guaranteed that she was going to take you on a tour of the property so she could show you each new tree that was planted, or what new flower garden she had just created. Visitors were always welcomed with open arms, cup of coffee and a home-baked goodie.

Donna had a zest for life and anything living, whether it be the tiniest crocus in the middle of a pasture, to her dogs, cats and even her pet chickens. Perhaps she found her love for the outdoors from her Grandpa Ross, who she would proudly tell stories of him hanging her upside down from her ankles, above the creek to pull out his minnow traps. She loved the countless hours she spent on her lawn tractor mowing their yard and the many hours she spent grooming her plants and flowers.

Oh, how she loved her grandbabies! Every single baby that was born into Gaylen and her family had no doubt of how much they were loved! Grandma Donna took her role very seriously and made sure that those grandchildren were full of hugs and smooches and filled up with sugar by the time they went home. She especially enjoyed her trips to Minot where she would stay with her granddaughters, Grace and her “Doodlebug” Jaimie Holter. The three of them enjoyed shopping and were always bringing home some sort of treasure from their trips to the mall. Donna had a way of leaving an imprint on any child she met. She loved kids and kids absolutely loved her and her silly personality. She “adopted” so many non-biological grandkids. Her daughter Jeannie’s daycare children would always get so excited when she would visit. She was Grandma Donna to every kiddo she met...except one, her buddy Landon, who called her the “Crazy Chicken Lady”.

Donna was a lady of many talents. She was an incredible seamstress who lovingly and painstakingly made her daughter’s pageant and prom dresses. She took the time to sew sequins on by hand and never once complained of how sore her fingers became. She did it all with love. She crocheted so many gifts for others throughout her years, from doilies, doll clothes, afghans, hand towels, you name it. We bet some of you still have some of these treasures packed away or on display in your homes. She shared her passion of sewing and crocheting by teaching others, including the neighborhood kids, how to do those trades. Her talents have been passed on to others as they now create treasures of their own.

Donna wasn’t one to travel much. She was happy to stay home in North Dakota. However, in 2015, she and Gaylen took a trip to Las Vegas with Kent and Jeanine Uran. She had an absolute blast and talked about how much fun it was!
In September of 2018, Donna was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Those who know Donna described her as a “force to be reckoned with” and that is exactly what she was when she was diagnosed. Donna was determined that she was not going to let “Earl” win! (If you are a country music fan and know who “The Chics” are, you will get the reference.) Donna fought hard and she never lost hope that she was going to win her battle. There were very few days where she was anguished. She still kept on living and loving life no matter how hard the chemo and radiation was on her body.

In the last few years of her life, she enjoyed her trips to the casino and seemed to have the best of luck there. It was not a surprise if you would get a text message of her holding up a good-sized cash out voucher! She also enjoyed attending car shows with Gaylen, where he would proudly display his 1972 Chevy Shortbox frame-off restoration. She was so proud of him and his beautiful truck!

She enjoyed spending time with her BFF’s, Barb Steltzmiller and Jeanine. They were her angels here on Earth that kept her going and helped her continue on even in her hardest days.

An act of true love was shown by Gaylen, who never once left her side while she was sick. Even when her last days were spent in a nursing home, he lovingly made sure he was there to feed her lunch and supper and would sit with her while she rested. She never once doubted how much love he had for her.

Donna is survived by her husband, Gaylen; daughter, Jeannie (JR) Kasper; son, Jimmy (Tami) Kollman; stepsons, Jason (Alice Etzel) Schroeder and Chris Schroeder; stepdaughter, Jennie (Aaron Gaymer) Maltby; 18 grandchildren; siblings, Gloria (David) Kinney, Alan (Janice) Rehak, and Bennett (Rosie) Rehak; sister-in-law, Darcy Rehak, and many nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.

Donna is preceded in death by her parents; grandparents; sister; Debbie Molzahn and brothers, Clint and Roy JR.