Obituary • Donna Butcher


Donna Butcher – Calumet, Iowa
Memorial services for Donna Butcher, age 83, of Calumet who passed away on Thursday, November 2, 2023, at Accura Healthcare in Cherokee. Her service will be 10:30 A.M. on Thursday, November 9, 2023, at the Eldridge Family Funeral Home in Paullina with Steve Dunnick leading the service.
Burial will be at Liberty Township Cemetery in Calumet.
Visitation with family present will be at 10 A.M. until the time of the service at the Eldridge Family Funeral Home in Paullina.
Donna Fay Butcher the daughter of Lorenz and Lucile (Jurgensen) Meyer was born April 1, 1940 in rural Cherokee County, Iowa. She received her early education at St. John Lutheran School in Germantown, Iowa and later graduated from Paullina High School with the class of 1958. On August 9, 1963, she was united in marriage to Harold “Butch” Butcher in Elk Point, South Dakota. After their marriage the couple settled on a farm south of Paullina where they farmed for 5 years. In 1968, the couple moved to Calumet where together they operated Butcher’s Texaco Station and Donna also did babysitting for local families and did a lot of sewing. In the early 1980’s she began Donna’s of Calumet which she ran for 31 years being known for her Donna burgers and her homemade potato salad. Also during these years, she drove school bus for the South O’Brien School district for 27 years. Her husband, Butch preceded her in death on November 29, 2010 in Primghar, Iowa. Donna retired from Donna’s and spent her time at home both sewing and making quilts. Her health failed and she moved to Accura Health Care in Cherokee in October of 2023 where she passed away on Thursday, November 2, 2023 reaching the age of 83 years, seven months and one day.
She was a member of the Zion United Church of Christ in Calumet. She enjoyed spending time with her family, especially the grandchildren. She was an avid Chicago Cubs baseball fan, enjoying her sewing and quilting and taking trips to the casino where she liked playing slots.
Donna is survived by three daughters, Debra (Charlie) Peck of Calumet, Iowa; Denise (Steve) Dunnick of Clear Lake, Iowa and Dana (Jim) Rehder of Waukee, Iowa a son, Daren Butcher of Arnolds Park, Iowa; 13 Grandchildren; 16 Great Grandchildren and 1 Great-Great Grandchild; one sister, Diana (Dennis) Kessler of Storm Lake, Iowa and two brothers, Dorrance Meyer in Oklahoma and Dale Meyer of Markesan, Wisconsin also many other relatives and friends.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold “Butch”; parents and one brother Delvin Meyer.