Donna Jean Hansmann

1939 - 2025

Donna Jean Jacobsen Hansmann passed away Oct. 1, 2025, after battling mucosal melanoma. She leaves a legacy of family and faith.

A memorial service will be 11 a.m. Monday, Oct. 13, at First Lutheran Church in Sauk Centre with the Rev. Rebecca Thomas officiating. A private inurnment will be at Long Bridge Lutheran Cemetery.

Visitation will be 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, at Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Sauk Centre and 10-11 a.m. Monday at church.

Donna was born Oct. 11, 1939, near Sioux Valley in a farmhouse where the end of the driveway was the Minnesota/Iowa border.

She moved to Brooten when she was in second grade and then to Sauk Centre in eighth grade, where she graduated from Sauk Centre High School in 1957. Donna thrived in her home economics classes and became a talented seamstress, making many of her own dresses for special occasions. After graduation she went to Concordia College in Moorhead for a year and a half. She returned to Sauk Centre and then worked as a telephone operator at Northwestern Bell.

It was during this time that she met her husband of 63 years, Wayne Hansmann. Wayne noticed Donna years before they ever met at a high school basketball game. Donna's parents got to know and really liked Wayne and encouraged Donna to go on a date with him. Like most young ladies, when your parents encourage you to do something, you do the opposite. Wayne asked Donna on a date and she said, "No." This had never happened to him before! His pursuit continued and eventually she agreed to a date. Wayne and Donna were married Jan. 13, 1962, at Zion Lutheran Church in Sauk Centre. Donna joined Wayne on the family dairy farm, that in 1995, was recognized by the state of Minnesota as a Century Farm. It took some adjusting, but Donna became a farmer's wife, who could drive the baler, get lunch out to the field, entertain the relatives who would pop in as the farm was considered home to so many, and roast four chickens and all the fixings for the church chicken supper with a newborn baby in tow.

It was on this farm that Donna and Wayne raised their five children. This, of course, added a lot to the list of being busy. Donna always encouraged her children to be involved in many activities. So add to her roles: chauffeur and fan. Their children's activities included, but were not limited to sports, music, church and 4-H.

Donna became a member of Little Sauk Long Bridge Lutheran Church not long after Wayne and she got married, and she remained a member until the church closed in 2023. She then returned to First Lutheran Church in Sauk Centre, the congregation where she had been confirmed. Donna was active with the ladies aide group, taught Sunday school and served many years as church treasurer. During this time, Donna was also involved with the Kandota Klimbers 4-H Club (was the leader for 15 years), her homemakers group (Sauk Kandettes), Gradatim, and was a member of the inaugural Sauk Centre Dollars for Scholars committee.

Donna and Wayne also enjoyed getting together with friends for their anniversary dinners and playing cards. As the kids got older and son Wayne could handle the milking, Donna and Wayne started to travel: Europe twice, South America and Australia/New Zealand. They were excited when they had breakfast at Harold's Restaurant in Grand Bay, Alabama, in 2015 as they had then traveled to all 50 states.

In 1997, Donna experienced a bleeding stroke that led to the building of a new home in 1998, in the back pasture of the family farm where they were able to live next to their daughter Jeanne and her family who were in the farmhouse. In 2021, they moved into Sauk Centre to LakeShore Estates where Donna enjoyed her lake views and kind neighbors. In 2025, they transitioned over to Fairway Pines where the whole family is thankful for the wonderful people and the caring staff. The entire family is also so grateful for the compassionate care from Centra Care Hospice and Cura of Sauk Centre care center in Sauk Centre, where Donna lived her final month.

Donna loved sewing (she sewed bridesmaids dresses for two of her daughters' weddings), making silk flowers (for all the children's weddings), flower gardening, reading, crossword puzzles, feeding the birds, decorative painting and Wordle, but Donna's main passion was supporting her children and eventually her grandchildren. There was not a gym, court, auditorium or field in Sauk Centre, White Bear Lake, Pine City, Chaska or Crosby Ironton where the people did not know that "Grandma and Grandpa" were in the house.

She is survived by her devoted husband, Wayne; daughter, Pam Blank of St. Paul and her children, Jacob, Brianna, Justin and Cassidy; son, Wayne (Jen) Hansmann of Pine City and their children, Matt, Mike, Mitch, Austin and Nick; daughter, Jeanne (Brett) Rodenbiker of Sauk Centre and their children, Carissa, Callie and Jessica; daughter, Deb (Gregg) Peters of Chaska and their children, Kayla, Danny and Marcus; daughter, Wendy (Mike) Gindorff of Crosby Ironton and their children, Abby and Noah; 12 great-grandchildren; sisters, Linda (David) Borgmann of Sartell and Marvel Stephen of McGregor, Iowa; and brother, Kent (Linda) Jacobsen of Hutchinson.

Donna was preceded in death by her parents, Marvin and Lois; and many other dear family and friends.

Any monetary donations will be divided between two very important causes to Donna: Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation, which affects her son-in-law, Brett, and granddaughter, Jessica; and Multiple Sclerosis Society, which affects her grandson, Jacob.
Arrangements were made with Patton-Schad Funeral and Cremation Services of Sauk Centre.