Donna Jean Rattlingourd

After 87 years on earth, 64 years of marriage, raising three daughters,

working as a nurse and then a retirement filled with travel, fun and

family, Donna Jean Rattlingourd passed away in Spokane Valley, WA on Nov.

22, 2025 with family beside her. Donna's body gave out, but her keen mind

and loving spirit were still strong. We love her and miss her so very much.

Donna was a wonderful, loving wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend,

colleague and neighbor. She was kind, thoughtful, intelligent, beautiful

inside and out, and so caring. She was gifted with a compassionate heart,

an organized, strong mind and a youthful appearance even as she aged.

Donna was born Donna Jean Daniels in Piedmont, MO to Toney and Mable

Daniels on Sept. 12, 1938, the oldest daughter of four children

(Bill, Donna, Judy and Ron). They made the long move to CA when Donna was

a teenager. She graduated from El Monte HS, El Monte, CA in 1956.

She began working at AT&T in San Diego, CA in 1956 with her good friend

Andrea, becoming a skilled draftsperson, until 1961. In 1960, Donna

enrolled at San Diego City College and took a year of courses part-time

while working full-time at AT&T.

Donna met the love of her life, Glen Rattlingourd, in 1960. They

married in 1961 and would have had their 65th wedding anniversary in 2026.

They raised three daughters, Sheryl, Patti and Karin, moving to Salt Lake

City, UT in 1968. Donna and Glen had wonderful neighbors and friends

there. They lived in SLC for almost 50 years.

Donna was always interested in health care. She went back to school in

her 40s at the University of Utah in SLC, and graduated magna cum laude

in 1981 with a BS in Nursing. Donna then received her RN license and began

working at Primary Children's Medical Center in SLC as an RN in 1981. She

worked first in Newborn ICU and then in the neonatal Bronchopulmonary

Dysplasia (BPD) unit for the smallest and sickest preemies. She loved the

babies and provided the gentle care they needed. Later, Donna worked in

Pediatric Outpatient Surgery. She retired in 1994 but was always a nurse

at heart and to her family.

When Donna and Glen both retired, they traveled in their RV to almost

every state, visiting family and friends along the way. They made an

eagerly-anticipated yearly Christmas calender filled with pictures from

their recent travels. Their dogs came with them on their RV adventures.

Donna and Glen loved each of their dogs, and cherished them as the family

members they were.

Donna and Glen moved to Spokane Valley in 2014, to the delight of their

oldest daughter Sheryl and her husband Walt, who were retiring there. It

has been such a gift to live so close to them and bring her homegrown

blackberries.

Donna loved flowering plants and grew beautiful blooms in her gardens

both in SLC and in Spokane Valley. In her home, she grew lovely orchids

and African violets, and took such delight in their blooms. Glen bought

her flowers every week so even when she couldn't go outside, Donna still had

their beauty to look at. She also loved working crossword puzzles, Sudoku

(even the 5-stars!), reading books on her Kindle, and doing cross-stitch

as well as knitting in her younger years. Donna was a wonderful cook who

could make almost anything. She would cook our favorite meals on our

birthdays, and taught all her daughters to cook. Mom and Dad taught us to

be kind, caring, to love learning and reading, and that if we did our best,

we could do anything we really wanted to do. Mom walked the walk by going

back to university in her 40s and achieving her longheld dream of obtaining

her nursing degree, and working as a nurse. She was always an inspiration to

us all.

Donna is survived by her husband of 64 years, Glen Rattlingourd; two of

her daughters, Sheryl (Walt) Howard and Karin (Jerry) Herrmann; and two

son-in-laws, Walt (Sheryl) Howard and Brian (Patti) Kunkel. Donna was

preceded in death by her parents, Toney and Mable Daniels; her brothers,

Bill and Ron Daniels; her sister Judy Gracy; her daughter Patti Kunkel; and

her son-in-law Jerry Herrmann. She is now reunited with them. A private

family Celebration of Life for Donna will be held at a later date.