Donna Bauer

Donna Joyce Bauer, entered into rest with the Lord on Aug. 29, 2012, at Community Hospital, in Missoula, after a courageous but short battle with cancer. Her final days were spent surrounded by her loving family and friends.

She was born Oct. 3, 1943, to Joseph and Gertrude Hervol in Bremerton, Wash. She attended grade schools and junior high in Malta and Coram, Columbia Falls High School and graduated from Sacred Heart Academy in 1961. After graduation, she attended the convent in Issaquah, Wash.

Donna returned to Missoula later in 1961, where she met and married the man she would spend nearly 50 years with on June 8, 1963.

She will fondly be remembered for the kindness and compassion which she showered upon everyone she met. She never operated a computer program, but Microsoft has nothing on her if you had ever seen her calendar and address book. If you knew her, you know.

Her love for the great outdoors included many years of snowmobiling, boating, camping, fishing, being the crew chief at the race track, and four-wheeling with her husband Tom, family and countless special friends. Donna was always quick on the throttle of her four-wheeler and kept Tom on his toes as they put more than 3,000 miles per year on their machines.

She enjoyed a beautiful yard filled with lots of flowers and plants — she could tell you about nearly every one of them or where the starts came from. She was always baking and canning and made a selection of Christmas candies and goodies and birthday cakes that her whole family looked forward to every year — as well as the UPS driver, school bus driver, mail man and anyone who stopped by. Her love of animals was a deep bond which she shared with her very special grandchildren who adored her.

The welcome mat was always up at her home and she was always there to greet you with a smile, hug and a meal if you had time.

Her strong Catholic faith has been her strength in her life and her comfort in her sickness. She had an unwavering devotion to the Lord, her husband, her family and her friends. She was a loyal friend and confidant. The secrets she must have taken with her...

“May your loving, hard working, helping hands rest. Never has there been a better role model. You have touched the lives of so many in such a special way and you will be missed more than you can ever imagine. We love you so much.”

She is survived by her husband Tom, of Missoula, daughter Beverly (Tim) Fix, of Florence, granddaughter Cassandra Jo and grandson Michael Fix, Joe (Paula) Bauer, of Missoula, grandson Jory Joseph Bauer and granddaughters Carly LaVonne Bourne and Toni Cork, sisters Julia (Jim) McNaney, of Hereford, Texas, Velma (Richard) Doty, of Eastsound Wash., Romona Doty, of Kalispell, James (Nita) Hervol, of Coram, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Funeral services took place Sept. 4, 2012, at St. Francis Catholic Church, in Missoula.