Donna F. Baldwin, 80, of Oakland NE

Donna F. Baldwin, 80 years, of Oakland, Nebraska, passed away Sunday, July 17, 2016 at the Oakland Mercy Hospital in Oakland after a short fight with cancer.

Donna was born August 1, 1935 to Vernie and Elsie (Youngren) Peterson in Oakland. She was baptized, confirmed, and a member of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oakland.

She attended Oakland Public Schools, graduating in 1952. She attended Wayne State Teachers College, and taught one year at Payne School in Cuming County.

On November 27, 1959 Donna married Harold L. Baldwin in the First Evangelical Lutheran Church, and taught one year at Omaha Central Elementary in Omaha, Nebraska. She then taught 13 years in country schools in Burt and Cuming counties. She received her BA in Counseling from Midland College in 1974, and her Masters in Counseling from Wayne State in 1983. She worked for the Department of Social Services for 24 years, retiring in 2000.

After retiring, Donna remained very active. She played golf, planted flowers, played cards, made the occasional trip to the casino and really enjoyed her time spent having coffee with friends. Her true love was sports; she was a loyal supporter of Oakland-Craig athletics for many years. She also followed her nieces’ and nephews’ sporting events. She loved Nebraska athletics and the Kansas City Royals.

Donna volunteered in many organizations. She was on the Oakland Heights Board, Friends of Oakland Foundation Board, Oakland Mercy Hospital Foundation Board, a past member of the First Evangelical Lutheran Church Council, a member of the Dorcas Society, Oakland Mercy Hospital Auxiliary, and Eastern Star Chapter 216 in Herman.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Harold; son, Tory; sister, Phyliss; brothers, Mel Worth and Elton Peterson.

She is survived by her sons, Jeff and Rex Baldwin both of Oakland; Rex’s special friend, Deb Nygren of Mead, NE; sister, Janice (Don) Schneir of Beatrice, NE.

Visitation will be held Wed., July 20th from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at Pelan Funeral Services in Oakland. Family will be receiving friends during this time.

The Funeral Service will be Thurs., July 21st at 10:30 a.m. at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.

Burial is in the Oakland Cemetery.

Memorials suggested to the family for designation at a later time.

Donna Baldwin