Donna Knutson

Donna Joy Knutson of Bloomer, Wisconsin, formerly of Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin passed away on Friday, July 1, 2022 at Chippewa Manor Nursing Home.

She was born August 15, 1942 in Englewood, CA and spent most of her childhood growing up in Ortonville, Minnesota.

She is predeceased by her parents, Robert and Connie Hasslen of Ortonville, Minnesota and her husband of 51 years, Donald Knutson.

Donna met Don in 1958 while riding on a bus to a basketball game. He told her a stupid joke, and she was hooked. They dated for 5 ½ years before they were married on September 1st, 1963, at First Methodist church in Ortonville, Minnesota. They lived in several places including Minneapolis, MN, Cincinnati, OH, Buffalo, NY, and Worthington, MN, before settling in Chippewa Falls. After graduating from Ortonville High, Donna attended Methodist-Kahler School of Nursing in Rochester, Minnesota, receiving a degree in nursing. She worked as a nurse full and part time for 44 years. She worked at St. Joseph Hospital in Chippewa Falls from 1975 until her retirement as an RN in the obstetrics department. She loved helping to bring new life into the world, teaching new parents how to care for their child and watching them bond with their new baby. This brought her years of joy. She assisted in the births of hundreds of babies during her career. Donna loved to travel, she visited many places in the world, but the place her and Don loved to visit the most was Maui. They spent 3 weeks there whale watching and walking the beaches every year. She also loved spending time with her growing family, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

As a mother, Donna was generous, loving and kind. As busy as she was, she always made time for her two sons, Darren and Derek. She taught her boys at an early age to dream big and that persistence was the difference between success and failure.

Survivors include her sister, Jill (Ned) Nippoldt of Jacksonville, FL; brother, Dan (Ardell) Hasslen of Ortonville, MN; sons, Darren (Leanne) Knutson of Bloomer, WI and Derek (Jennifer) Knutson of Frankfort, IL; 5 Grandchildren, Kristine Knutson of New Auburn, WI, Jessica (Ross) Waldofski of New Auburn, WI, Nicole Knutson of Rice Lake, WI, Emily (Dylan) Knutson of Frankfort, IL Connor Knutson of Frankfort, IL; 3 great-grandchildren, Madelyn, Avery and Bryce; as well as many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held from 4:00 – 7:00 PM on Thursday, July 7, 2022 at Pederson-Volker Funeral Chapel in Chippewa Falls. Interment will be held at a later date at Eidskog Cemetery in Big Stone County, MN.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in honor of Donna can be directed to the American Kidney Foundation, www.kidneyfund.org