Donna Lou Johnson passed away peacefully Tuesday, July 25 at the Flin Flon General Hospital.
A funeral service was held at St. Ann’s Catholic Church on July 28, 2017, with Rev. Steve Wilson officiating.
Donna’s nephew, Vaughan Karpan, read her eulogy on behalf of Donna’s husband, Calvin, and her children, Bernice, Raylene, Carla, and Gene:
A famous writer once said, “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.”
If that’s true, then Donna made a great life. She was the most giving person; and judging from the nodding heads I see in front of me, it seems that many of you agree.
Donna was born Donna Lou Zimmerman on Saturday, October 11, 1941, in Flin Flon, MB. She was born into the family of her parents Evelyn and George Zimmerman, and her only sister, Betty. In Flin Flon they lived on Boam Street and on Grandview Street. They also lived in Winnipeg, MB and Marathon, ON.
In her early years Donna attended Ross Lake School, Terrace School, and Hapnot School in Flin Flon. In one of the high school yearbooks, under her name, it says “everyone’s buddy”. And she was.
As a teenager she worked at the Northland Theatre where she wore fancy high-waist, gold palazzo pants.
She later attended business school in Winnipeg and lived at the YMCA where she made many friends who she kept in contact with her whole life.
While living there she didn’t have much spending money; however, one of her friends would give her a cigarette every time she made a certain funny face…..which many of you may have had the privilege of seeing!
She also told us that when she moved from Flin Flon to Winnipeg, all the kids her age were jiving differently than they were in Flin Flon. Well, Donna the dancing queen wasn’t having that! She practiced in her room – holding the door handle and swinging the door. She nailed it, and was a star on the dance floor for the rest of her life!
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