Donna Finnegan

Donna Madsen Finnegan, 87, of Fort Dodge, Iowa died March 2, 2023, at the Marian Home. Funeral services to celebrate Donna's life will be at 11:00 am, Saturday, March 11, 2023 at Laufersweiler Funeral Home with Burial following in North Lawn Cemetery. Visitation will be on Saturday from 10:00 to 11:00 AM at the funeral home. Donna is survived by her children, Kathy (Lou) Polich of Buckeye, AZ; Linda Hinshaw of Richland, IA; Anne (Kelly) Payne of Fort Dodge, IA; Tom (Michelle) Finnegan of Sheboygan, WI; and Jim (Lori) Finnegan of Otho, IA. Donna is also survived by thirteen grandchildren, Joe Polich, Tim Polich, Dillon Hinshaw, Jordan Hinshaw, Tiffany Williamson, Andrea Payne, Jenna Smith, Madison Payne, Kyle Finnegan, Jacob Finnegan, Katie Finnegan, Miranda Finnegan and Blake Mathes, and ten great-grandchildren, as well as her sibling Audrey Hammond of Jefferson, Iowa. She was preceded in death by her husband, Peter Finnegan, her parents, Lawrence and Ruth Madsen, her in-laws Tom and Elizabeth Finnegan, her sister Karen Blackburn and her great-grandson Braydon Birchall. Donna Finnegan was born July 24, 1935, in Fort Dodge, Iowa. As a child her family lived on a farm in Rutland, Iowa. She graduated from Rutland High in 1954 and worked at Ben Franklin's until 1958. A boy she graduated with was stationed with a boy named Peter Finnegan from New York City and he told Peter what a nice girl he had graduated with, so Peter started to write Donna. One letter she received she had to hold up to a mirror in order to read it. Another letter came that was written around and around on the paper in a circle! Peter came to Iowa to meet Donna and they were engaged in 1957 and married on September 29, 1958. The couple moved to New York where Donna worked as a file clerk at Aetna Insurance Company until the birth of her first child, Kathleen. Two more children, Linda and Anne, were born in New York before the couple decided to move back to Iowa where two more children, Tom and Jim, were born. When the children were older, Donna worked at Ellen's Convalescent Center until her retirement in 1990. The couple then bought a farm in Unionville, Missouri, but moved back to Fort Dodge in 1995, Iowa to be closer to family. Donna treasured spending time with her family. Her adult life was devoted to making sure her children and grandchildren knew how much they were loved. Donna also loved cross stitching, baking pies and cookies, traveling, and scrapbooking. Donna will be deeply missed by her family and friends and will always be remembered for her generous love to others and her selflessness. Visitation Sat, Mar 11, 2023 at 10:00 am - 11:00 am Laufersweiler Funeral Home 307 South 12th Street Fort Dodge, IA 50501 Funeral Sat, Mar 11, 2023 at 11:00 am Laufersweiler Funeral Home 307 South 12th Street Fort Dodge, IA 50501