Dona May Gjertson, age 97, of Iola died Saturday, December 4, 2021 at Wells Nature View Assisted Living in Marshfield while under the care of Heartland Hospice.
Dona was born on May 7, 1924 in the Town St. Lawrence, daughter of the late Olaf and Ella (Knutson) Olson. She married Herman Gjertson on June 7, 1947 at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Iola. She was a graduate of Iola High School. Dona worked at Hanson Glove Defense Plant in Milwaukee where she sewed parachutes from 1942-1944. In 1946, she graduated from the Milwaukee School of Beauty Culture. She worked at Vernae Beauty Shop and the Iola Beauty Shop. After their marriage, she assisted Herman with bookkeeping for his Morning Glory Distributorship. Dona was a lifelong member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Iola. She enjoyed knitting, sewing and traveling. She and Herman drove yearly to Arizona to visit their daughter Mary and family.
Survivors include her daughter, Julaine (Ron) Varsho, Marshfield; five grandchildren: Dr. Mark (Lili) Schwartz of Tucson, Arizona; Tom Schwartz of Phoenix, Arizona; Steve (Regan) Schwartz of Phoenix, Arizona; Jennifer (Ken) Musana of Lynchburg, Virginia; Kim (Kelvin Santiago) Varsho; ten great-grandchildren: Colby, Samuel, Couper, Jacob, Caden and Addison Schwartz of Arizona; Elizabeth, Isaiah and Jacob Musana of Virginia; Brady Varsho-Santiago of Wisconsin; one sister LaVonne Waller of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. She is further survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Besides her parents, Dona was preceded in death by her husband Herman, daughter Mary Schwartz, son-in-law Leonard Schwartz, sister Ethelyn Suits, and brothers-in-law, George Suits and Alan Waller.
The Funeral Service for Dona will be held on Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Iola with Rev. Karen Rendall-Zutz officiating. Burial will be in the parish cemetery. Visitation will be held directly at the church on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 10:45 a.m. Memorials may be directed to Our Savior’s Lutheran Church. Voie Funeral & Cremation Care of Iola is assisting the family with the arrangements.