Dona Marie Schuette

Dona Schuette (Sachs), 73, went to be with the Lord on July 3rd, 2023. Her husband Clarence, and daughters Cherilyn & Cathy, were present for her sendoff. With a view from the 7th floor of ThedaCare Appleton Medical Center, Cherilyn told Dona that if she held on till 9:30 PM the Independence day fireworks would begin to celebrate her life and passing. After praying over her, with Clarence holding Dona’s hand, she peacefully passed at precisely 9:30 PM as fireworks launched across the skyline. 

 

Clarence & Dona were married on July 1st 1972. Last year at this time they were celebrating their 50th anniversary of being the love of each other's lives “till the 12th of never,” which was their special promise to each other on their wedding day. Dona was an amazing mother (and mother-in-law) to Cherilyn Trzebiatowski (Jeff) and Cathy Van Dyn Hoven (Nate). She was "the cool Nana” to Danika and Kaylee Trzebiatowski (Cherilyn/Jeff). Dona was also treasured by the extended Sachs & Schuette families as well as a large circle of friends that are family.

 

Dona was a woman of God, her life reflected His love and compassion for others. She was a great listener and she lovingly provided wisdom and guidance that spoke from the heart and positively impacted others lives. When Dona would tell you that she would pray for you, she was committed. She kept a long list of prayer requests in her Bible that she prayed through during her morning quiet time. Meal time prayer was important to her family, and Dona and Clarence always kissed after the prayer before eating, this will be one of the things that Clarence will miss the most. To end the day, Clarence and her spent time reading the Bible and praying together. Her faith and trust in the Lord gave her the strength to get through the difficult times and allowed her to rejoice and celebrate in the good times.     

 

Dona’s spiritual gift was hospitality and she utilized it to its fullest. Many people were blessed by her delicious cooking and baking. She always made more food than was needed and would send leftovers home with guests, or call neighbors and friends to share the abundance. Her family often joked that if you left her house hungry, it was your own fault. On the rare occasion when a meal in her home had been planned and a guest was not able to attend she had a list of “pinch eaters” to call up and invite to her table. She was the first to bring treats and goodies to celebrate with others, to help others get well, or just because. Her signature chocolate chip cookies will be missed by all who had the privilege of receiving some.  

 

Dona’s gift of hospitality also extended to her welcoming nature and opening their home or camper to all. It started when Clarence and Dona first got married and opened their home for meals and to be a place of relaxation to college kids from the folk dance program at UW Stevens Point, which Clarence directed. Dona was only a few years older than the students but they all called her “mom.” The sign on their home read, “Home of wayward folk dancers and other creatures.” Over the years, the home she kept had a revolving door of guests, some finding a temporary home address: a co-worker from Denmark, Dona’s Mom, a friend who is like a brother to her son-in-law Jeff, and Clarence's sister. The friends of her daughters, Cherilyn & Cathy, were always welcomed at the house and the basement was set up to be a teenage hang out zone where all were welcomed and received her hospitality and care. Since 2009, Dona & Clarence have been opening their home to host missionaries from UIM Aviation (United Indian Missions) and SOAR (Service Oriented Aviation Readiness) during EAA week. If you needed a place to stay, Dona was quick to offer you a space in her home.

 

Dona didn’t like to talk about her health challenges of the past several years with others. She was reserved to share with many because she didn’t want to be a burden. She felt that others had more significant challenges than her and she didn’t want others to be concerned for her. She did however take care of herself by following doctor's directions and maintaining a Faith that God was in control. Beginning in April, more was shared publicly as Dona and the family knew the challenges were serious and complicated. Dona’s case became difficult to manage as treatment options for the multiple conditions conflicted. It was a race to chase symptoms from a root cause that was not known. In the end, her body was just not able to fight the back and forth battle, and God called her Home. In her final hours, Clarence and Dona had their last kiss, and she enjoyed the sweetness of a popsicle, the first flavor she had tasted in many weeks. "Life is short, eat the popsicle."   

 

The family is grateful to the ICU staff at Thedacare Regional Medical Center - Appleton for the amazing care Dona received in the last two weeks and their help with the transition to hospice care in her final hours. 

 

A Celebration of Dona’s Outstanding Life will be held on July 20th, 2023 at Van Abel’s of Hollandtown (8108 County Trunk HWY D, Kaukauna, WI 54130). An open house (visitation) time to come and visit with family and friends will be held from 3-5pm. A service will be held at 5pm followed by a meal to fellowship and celebrate Dona. If you can come for the service and dinner please RSVP to the family by July 9th. 

 

In lieu of flowers, Dona’s request was for memorial donations to UIM Aviation or SOAR. Both mission’s organizations have blessed the family with the relationships created over the years. Continued support of their mission field work is valued by the family. Donations can be made by check to UIM Aviation or SOAR and provided to the family for forwarding. Or you can give online with the below links 

 

 

UIM: http://donorbox.org/miscellaneous-project-fund

SOAR: https://www.soar-m17.org/