Dona Spilman

Dona Spilman, age 69, of Leader, passed away at her home on Saturday, March 21, 2009. Services are planned for Monday, March 23 at 2:00PM at the Motley Free Methodist Church with Pastor Jim Johnson officiating. The visitation will be one hour prior to the service, at the church. Burial will be in the Poplar Cemetery.

Dona was born on Sunday, June 11, 1939, to Malcolm Macand Hazel (DeWald) Smith, in the Thomastown Township of Wadena County. From there her family lived for a short time in Minneapolis, before settling in the Leader  Poplar area. She attended Poplar Elementary School and graduated in 1957 from the Staples High School. She attended Staples Teachers Training and was certified in 1958. Dona taught for one year near Henning, in a one room school house. She then moved to St. Paul and worked at Minnesota Mutual Life Ins. Co. for five years. During that time she met Marvin Spilman and they married on May 2, 1963. They then moved to Auburn, Washington for about a year, before returning to South Minneapolis. In the summer of 1972, they moved to the Spilman family farm near Leader. Dona has been involved in the Leader Area Lions, the Poplar Community Church, and the start up of the Hazel-Dell Leader Community Library.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; brothers, Ray and Norman; sister, Irene; and a great-grandson, Dylan. She is survived by her children, Myrna (Wayne) Martin of Pillager, Marcy (James) Edwards of Sherwood, AR, Michael (Laura) Spilman of Wadena, Monica (Max) Burnett of Paris, AR, and Milo Spilman of Leader; 7 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; sisters, Echo Schneider and Della Hanson; and brothers Dale, Robert, and Keith Smith.

Arrangements are entrusted to the Brenny Funeral Home in Staples.

Brenny Funeral Home 218-894-1910