Simpson, Donna M.

Donna M. Simpson, 77, died suddenly Friday, Nov. 30, 2012, at Mercy Iowa City. Funeral mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in West Liberty. Visitation will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Henderson-Barker Funeral Home in West Liberty, with a Christian Wake Service at 7 p.m. Burial will be in the North Prairie Cemetery, West Liberty.

Online condolences may be made to the family at .

Memorials may be made to St. Joseph Catholic Church, West Liberty Community Center or West Liberty Fire and Rescue Unit.

Donna was born Sept. 26, 1935, in Grinnell, Iowa, the daughter of Carl and Blanche Benson Olson. She was a graduate of Grinnell High School in the Class of 1952. On Feb. 5, 1955, she was united in marriage to James Alfred Simpson in Grinnell. The couple lived in several Iowa towns due to Jim working for the Rock Island Railroad, finally settling in West Liberty in 1965.

She was employed with Hargrave-McEleney Motors and preceding dealerships in Iowa City for over 40 years as cashier, bookkeeper and then office manager, retiring in December 2000. She was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in West Liberty. For several years Donna volunteered at the West Liberty Senior Dining Center where she also was the senior group representative for the Community Center's board of directors. She was an avid Iowa Hawkeye fan, plus she enjoyed traveling, especially to Branson, Mo. and New York City, to see all of the musical shows. Donna also loved cooking, puzzles and especially enjoyed all of her family.

Survivors include three children, daughter, Luann (Bill) Hoffman of Hollywood, Fla., son, Randy (Lisa) Simpson of New Boston, Ill. and their children Ryan (Crystal) Simpson of Peoria, Ariz. and Andrew, at home, and daughter, Karla (Stan) Boruff of Illinois City, Ill. and their children, Nicholas (Marissa) Boruff of Illinois City, Alyssa Boruff of West Des Moines and Taylor, at home; three great-grandchildren, Natalie and Garrett Boruff of Illinois City and Parker James Simpson of Peoria; one brother, Larry (Phyllis) Olson of Algona; brother-in-law, Tom (Darla) Simpson of Grinnell; sister-in-law, Barbara Schmidt of Grinnell; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Jim in 1995; and two brothers, LaVerne Olson and Richard Olson.

Published in The Gazette Dec. 4, 2012.