Donna Dee Linder, 81, of Onawa, Iowa, died on Monday, December 4, 2017, at Pleasant View Care Center in Whiting, Iowa.

A memorial mass will be 10:30 A.M. Monday, December 11, 2017, at St. John's Catholic Church in Onawa, with Father Michael Erpelding, Celebrant. Visitation will be 5:00 - 7:00 P.M. Sunday, December 10, 2017, with a scriptural wake service at 7:00 P.M., at the Rush Family Chapel in Onawa. Arrangements are under the direction of Rush Family Care Service in Onawa.

Donna Dee was born on May 2, 1936, the daughter of Merrill L. and Lois Emma (Daniels) Hodgens, in Lincoln, Nebraska. She graduated from North High School in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1954. She then attended Wayne State Teacher's College in Wayne, Nebraska, and graduated with bachelor's degrees in English and music education.

Donna and Gary Alan Linder were united in marriage on August 8, 1958, in Omaha. This union was blessed with three children: Cindy, Connie, and Kevin.

She taught school for a total of nine years in Bartlett and Pender Nebraska, as well as in Manning, Iowa. She then worked as a nurse's aide for Plaza Nursing Home in Manning, Elmwood Care Centre in Onawa, and Pleasant View Care Center in Whiting.

Donna was an accomplished violinist, and played in the Sioux City Symphony for fifteen years. She also played in the Cherokee Symphony.

She was a member of St. John's Catholic Church in Onawa.

Survivors include her husband, Gary A. Linder of Onawa, Iowa; her children and their spouses, Cindy (Tim) McCall of Farragut, Iowa, Connie (Ron) Smith of Sioux City, Iowa, and Kevin (Amy) Linder of Akron, Iowa; eleven grandchildren, Emily (Nick) Wills, Christa McCall, Jill McCall, Mary "Maggie" (Laurent) Tassembedo, Lisa Smith, Renee (Jon) Gerster, Anna Smith, Kathryn Linder, Taylor (John) DenBeste, Ryleigh Schnell, and Nicholas Schnell; one sister-in-law, Donna Hodgens of Omaha, Nebraska; one niece and her husband, Debbie (Scott) Christopherson of Omaha, Nebraska; and one nephew and his wife, David (Mary) Hodgens of Omaha, Nebraska.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Merrill and Lois Hodgens; her brother, Duane Hodgens; and one granddaughter, Karen Linder.