On Tuesday, December 9, 2025, Donna held her baby daughter Julie Ann for the first time in 61 years. Terry and Cindy embraced Donna with a gentle hug and soft kiss. Her parents, brother, sister-in-law, countless aunts, uncles, cousins, family, and friends surrounded her with their presence and love. She looked up and saw the face of Jesus and the aura of God, filling her heart with the Holy Spirit. She had finally come home.

Donna Jean Johnson was born in Tracy, MN on June 19, 1935. She had a very happy childhood with her parents Ora and Alphonse, brother Don and many cousins and friends. Alphonse built all of her doll furniture and Ora sewed all of her clothes. She rollerskated, played with her dolls, dressed in old adult clothes for make-believe, danced, sang in choir, fished for crappies with her dad, and helped her mom in the garden. Donna grew up during the Depression and World War II, so times were tough but she loved the life she had and was grateful for it. Faith in God was important to her then and remained so for her entire life. So was her large family who gathered together frequently for dinners, birthdays, and holidays.

Donna had good grades throughout school and made the National Honor Society. She wanted to become an elementary school teacher because of the influence that her 4th grade teacher, Miss Gluth, had on her life. They remained friends for 30 years. Donna attended Mankato State even though her dad wanted her to work at the bank. Donna was voted homecoming queen in 1954, graduated with a teaching degree, and got a position at West Side Elementary in Marshall, MN. That's only 23 miles from Tracy, so everything worked out very well.

Donna met a handsome, funny, kind, thoughtful, young businessman named Terry Bladholm. He treated her like a queen for the next 60+ years. They were married in Tracy and lived in Marshall with their two children Steve and Cindy. Their baby Julie Ann passed away at the Mayo Clinic before the doctors could save her. Heartbroken, Donna and Terry decided to not have another child.

They lived a happy life in Marshall with so many friends and family nearby. She loved being a mother and did volunteer work at church and in the community. However, the desire to return to teaching stayed within her. She finally took some classes at Southwest State in Marshall intending to teach again. That plan was disrupted when Terry and his brother Tom bought a company in Fargo. The family moved there in 1972 and have been here since (except for a few years in Minneapolis).

Donna was very involved with organizations such as First Lutheran Church, El Zagal Shrine, St. John's Hospital, and PEO (which she joined in 1979). Donna was a church lady through and through, serving countless lunches after funerals and participating in various activities. She donated her time and money to many charities and her kind, altruistic spirit was always shining forth. Donna genuinely cared about helping others for her entire life, always happy and smiling, just like her mom.

Donna became a grandmother in 1996 and 1997. She loved Obbie and Carter with her entire being. Donna and Terry spent a huge amount of time with the boys and had a major influence on their lives. They are both fine young men because of that loving devotion. Donna became a great grandma on Thanksgiving. I showed her the picture of Layla Joy every day afterward, telling her who that sweet baby girl is. Donna would intently stare at Layla and I wonder if that kept her going a bit longer.

Donna and Cindy were best friends. Cindy and Kent moved to Minneapolis after Grandma Ora passed away because she wanted to be close to her parents. Donna and Cindy went on many trips so they could share the adventure together. Cindy developed brain cancer in 2015 and passed away one year later. This devastated Donna and Terry as well as the entire family. It took a long time for that grief to subside.

Donna and Terry were quite a couple. They shared many values, beliefs, interests, and they loved each other very much. It is hard to describe the myriad fun times they had with their friends, family, or together. It seemed like there was always something going on. Terry made sure that she had beautiful things as a token of his love. They traveled to many destinations, enjoying being together all along the way. Terry's health deteriorated and Donna increasingly cared for him over his last 8 years. But they still had a lot of wonderful times, always trying to make the best of each opportunity, refusing to let things get them down.

Terry passed away on November 1, 2020. His death, the COVID lockdowns, and her loneliness might have started mom down the path to dementia. We attributed her forgetfulness to the chronic pain she was in and the lingering loss of Terry and Cindy. Shoulder replacement surgery in 2023 tipped her over that threshold. Donna was in the nursing home for the next 33 months. She tried to escape multiple times, but eventually began to somewhat accept being there. Her true inner self came out. She tried to help the staff with meals, hosting afternoon coffee, telling the staff "thank you", "I love you", saying impromptu funny or kind words, singing, and always smiling.

We greatly appreciate the kind, loving care that she received on Willow Lane at Bethany. The compassionate work they do there is way beyond admirable. They will all take the express elevator to heaven and Donna will be there to greet them.

A Memorial Service to honor this lovely lady will be held in May. The date and time will be posted in April. We hope that many of you will be able to attend.