Donna Peterson, 66, formerly of Thief River Falls, MN and Edinburg, ND, peacefully passed away on Wednesday, March 9, 2011 at the Frazee Care Center in Frazee, MN.

Funeral services will be held 10:30 AM on Monday, March 14, 2011 at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls, MN with Rev. Mark Helgeland officiating. Burial will be held at the St. Hilaire Community Cemetery, rural St. Hilaire, MN.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 PM until 7:00 PM with a 7:00 PM prayer service on Sunday, March 13, 2011 at Johnson Funeral Service in Thief River Falls, MN. Visitation will also be held from 9:30 AM until 10:30 AM at the church.

Donna Margaret Sevre was born on September 30, 1944 at Mercy Hospital in Thief River Falls, MN, the first of four children born to Glen and Alyce (Jensen) Sevre. She was baptized at her home and confirmed at First Lutheran Church in Thief River Falls, which later became Redeemer Lutheran Church. Donna attended elementary school and high school in Thief River Falls, graduating with the Prowler class of 1962.

Following high school, Donna was united in marriage to Wayne Peterson on July 7, 1962. The couple made their home in Viking, MN, where they proudly raised their seven children " Daniel, Dianne, Debra, Cindy, Dennis, Kelli, and Tracie. Donna worked as a homemaker for several years. When her children started school, she started work as a certified nursing assistant at Oakland Park Nursing Home in Thief River Falls. She was employed there for seven years.

In 1983, Donna and Wayne moved their family to Park River, ND. She continued to work as a nursing assistant at the Good Samaritan Center in Park River for the next twenty years until her retirement in 2004. Wayne died in 1987. In 1988, Donna met Paul Salentiny, a good friend who became her significant other. They moved together to Edinburg, ND in 1991 where she lived until she moved to the Frazee Care Center due to health reasons.

Donna was an avid trivia buff, loved bird watching and crocheting. She crocheted an afghan for each grandchild as they came along and dolls for the granddaughters birthdays. She loved being surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

She was a very patient and loving mother, always doing whatever she could to help with her children, whether it was to advise, babysit, or share a recipe.

Donna is survived by her daughters, Dianne (Nate) Stroh of Thief River Falls, MN, Debra (David Clark) Reynolds of Mesa, AZ, Cindy (Doug) Laaveg of Minto, ND, Kelli (Warren Denault) Kalgard of Park River, ND, Tracie (Chad) Hove of Park River, ND; sons, Daniel (Marie Johnson) Peterson of Princeton, MN, and Dennis (Jennifer) Peterson of Ogilvie, MN; twenty-one grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren; her mother, Alyce Sevre of Thief River Falls, MN; sisters, Bonnie (Bob Seibel) Pederson of Cohasset MN, and Darlene (Bob) Valley of Red Lake Falls, MN; sister-in-law, Joyce (Ron) Foss of Baudette, MN, and her special friend, Paul Salentiny of Edinburg, ND.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Wayne; grandson, Grant Beck; sister, Cheri Walters, and her father, Glen Sevre.