DONNA JEAN GODBERSEN, 91, of Cherokee, Iowa, passed away on Tuesday morning, November 28, 2023 at MercyOne Siouxland Hospital in Sioux City, Iowa. Funeral services will be held on Friday, December 1, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. at Trinity Lutheran Church in Cherokee, Iowa. Pastor Jonathan Riggert will officiate. Burial will be in the St. John’s Lutheran Cemetery at Galva, Iowa. Visitation will be held on Thursday, November 30, 2023 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. with the family present from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa. The Boothby Funeral Home of Cherokee, Iowa is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com. Donna Jean Jensen was born on May 3, 1932 to Axel and Minnie (Bayer) Jensen on her Grandpa Jensen’s farm in Silver Creek Township, Ida County, Iowa. She was welcomed into the family by her brother, Robert. Her father told her he had fished her, his Little Mermaid out of the nearby Maple River. When questioned why she did not have fins, he told her he had legs attached later. Donna lived on her Grandpa’s farm until she was almost one year old, when they moved a farm southeast of Schaller. While living there, Donna came down with diphtheria at 3 ½ years old and for 6 weeks the family was confined to the farm. When Donna was almost 5 years old, due to hard farming times, her parents elected to move back to Holstein, where both grandparents lived. Donna attended all her school years at Holstein, graduating in 1950. After graduation while working at Wallen’s Variety Store, she met Loraine, who scheduled a blind date with her brother, Wilbert Godbersen. They started dating in June 1950, until Wilbert entered the service in February 1951. While he was on furlough, they became engaged before he went overseas to serve in Korea. Until his return home to the U.S., she began working in Dr. Langland’s dental office and continued to work for him one year after her marriage. Wilbert and Donna decided to follow the tradition that his older two sisters had started. One married on February 2, 1947, the second on February 12, 1950, and Donna and Wilbert were married on February 22, 1953, at the Methodist Church in Holstein. They lived their first year in an apartment in Holstein while Wilbert owned a gas station. In 1954, a farm came up to rent north of Cushing, where they began farming. They spent three years on that farm, where their son David was born. In 1957, they moved southwest of Holstein for 12 years, where their daughter, Joleen and another son, James came to join their family. The last 16 years were spent on a farm southeast of Galva. Donna adapted to farm life quickly, learning to milk cows by hand, walking beans, caring for a large garden, canning much of the bounty of it. She loved working beside her husband in the field, spent many a day on a tractor in the field or hauling grain to town. In 1980 to help with the declining farm economy, she accepted a job as secretary at Buena Vista University, where she learned to operate a computer. After Wilbert’s passing in 1997, she elected to retire in 2000 and moved to Cherokee to be closer to her son and family. Donna worked many jobs throughout her life, her love of the Lord was her chief concern along with her love of her family. She attended many activities of her children, grandchildren, because of the distance they lived from her, she cheered the great-grandchildren’s activities on in her heart. She is survived by her children, daughter, Joleen and Bill Werkmeister of El Dorado Springs, MO.; son James and Bette Godbersen of Cleghorn, IA.; grandchildren, Rik Rydberg, Jeni Hearting, Taryn, Tyrel, and Trace Godbersen; great grandchildren, Hope, Hunter, and Hailey Hearting; step-grandchildren, Jeremy and Becky Werkmeister, Staci Werkmeister; step-great grandchildren, Cody Werkmeister, Easton Werkmeister, Spencer Gibbs, Spencer’s children, Aspen and Oliver; Wilbert’s family who survive her are, Elvera Todd, Mary Gebers, Janet Rehse, and Judy Johnston. She was preceded in death by her husband, her oldest son, David Godbersen, grandson, Trent Godbersen, her parents, her in-laws, her brother and wife, Robert and Monica Jensen, plus Wilbert’s family, Caroline Niemeier, Loraine (Bertlesen) Dose, Peter Godbersen, plus many nieces, nephews, and a host of friends.
