Cleveland, MN - Cleveland Township, Minnesota - Donna Rae Strand, age 85, passed away on July 22, 2026. Born on November 3, 1940, in Mankato, Donna was the second of two children of Arthur and Margaret Strand.

A Celebration of Donna's Life will be Friday, August 21, 2026 at 2 P.M. at Woodland Hills Chapel in Mankato. Interment will be in Woodland Hills Memorial Park.

The Strand family will greet friends on Friday afternoon for one hour prior to services at Woodland Hills Chapel. In lieu of flowers memorials preferred to BENCHS (Blue Earth Nicollet County Humane Society) in memory of Donna Strand. Arrangements by Woodland Hills Funeral Home of Mankato. www.woodlandhillsfh.com

Donna grew up in Rapidan, and just 8 days after she was born, she nearly lost her father as he traveled from Mankato to Rapidan with her baby formula in the Armistice Day Blizzard. He had to abandon his truck and trudge through whiteout conditions in deep snow for 6 hours, suffering from severe hypothermia and frostbite. While Donna was too young to remember this, she learned of it later and proudly told others of her father's heroics from her first few days of life.

In her youth, Donna adored Roy Rogers and Gene Autry, and she was the only kid in Rapidan to ride her tricycle through the streets wearing a cowboy hat, chaps, boots, and spurs. Her love of westerns continued into adulthood, and she even bought a plot of land in New Mexico to have her own slice of the Wild West.

Not everybody knew that Donna enjoyed making music. She played trumpet in band and sang with a deep, contralto voice. She graduated as valedictorian at Rapidan High School and attended business school in Mankato before starting her first career at Brett's in Mankato. At first, she doubted that she could ever learn all she needed to know to do her job well, but she began to thrive and eventually became the first woman vice president there. Working at Brett's was one of the greatest joys in her life, and she regularly socialized with her coworkers until she passed. While working at Brett's, Donna met her dear special friend, Judy Rohlfs. Together, they purchased and cleared a double lot on Lake Jefferson and built a cabin there. After Brett's went out of business, Donna found another passion in real estate, and she became an accomplished realtor with Action Realty. Even as she hit retirement age, her past clients kept coming back to her asking her to please "find us just one more house" or "sell this one last house for us before you retire."

Donna's lengthy realty career continued until a lung disease nearly took her life, but against all odds, she recovered. From that point on, she devoted her life to enjoying her golden years at her Lake Jefferson home with her many rescue cats. Later in life, another illness landed her in a skilled, secure nursing home facility. While everyone thought she would spend her remaining days there, her sheer determination spurred yet another incredible recovery. She was able to return to her lake home and live independently for her last few years.

While Donna sometimes had a fiery temper, she had a heart of gold, and her love for her family and friends was unconditional. She also was a champion of causes that helped disadvantaged people and a major supporter of local animal shelters.

Donna feared nothing, including death, and that fearlessness lasted to the very end. In her final days, she was still tending to her garden, making frequent trips to town to shop, and setting food out for the stray cats and neighborhood raccoons and opossums. While her passing was a shock to her loved ones, she got her final wish to "die at home with my boots on--doing things my way!"

Donna was preceded in death by her parents, Arthur and Margret Strand (nee Workman) of Rapidan, Minnesota; her very special friend and housemate of many decades, Judy Rohlfs; her sister, Bonnie Burk and brother-in-law, Eddie Burk, of La Porte, Indiana; and her niece, Kelly Wetoska (Steve) of Glenview, Illinois.

Donna is survived by her beloved nephew, Terry Burk (Joel Hanif) of Mankato; beloved niece Linda Ek (Jeffery) of Forest Lake, Minnesota; five great nieces and nephews: Kelsey Burk and Kevin Burk of Minneapolis; and Emily, Michael, and Anna Wetoska of Chicago; and numerous cousins in the Mankato area. Donna is also survived by her dear neighborhood friends Gloria Robinson and Curt and Raleen Tolzmann.