Donna Kimball

Callaway, NE- Donna Kimball age 84 of Callaway died Thursday February 16, 2017 at the Callaway District Hospital in Callaway.   Funeral services will be held on Tuesday February 21, 2017 at 11:00 AM at the United Methodist Church in Callaway with Pastor Shanon Williams officiating.  Burial will be in the Rose Hill Cemetery at Callaway.  Visitation will be held on Monday, February 20, 2017 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Govier Brothers Mortuary in Broken Bow and Monday evening, 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at the United Methodist Church in Callaway.   Memorials are suggested to the Callaway United Methodist Church, the Callaway District Hospital or the Callaway Good Life Center. Donna Jean (Datus) Kimball was born in Westerville, NE on February 16, 1933, the second daughter of Virgil and Helen (Copsey) Datus. Donna was baptized as a child in the Westerville Methodist Church. It was a great little village to grow up in.  In the summer she would go fishing, swimming in dams, bicycle or horseback riding.  During the winter her whole high school would go ice skating every Sunday afternoon, even playing hockey a few times and often played volleyball Wednesday nights after youth group at the Methodist Church.  She graduated from Westerville High School and attended Kearney State College.  Her first teaching assignment was in a little brick school outside of Arcadia, NE.  Some of her students remained her life long friends.  On August 12, 1951, she was united in marriage to Delbert Gale Kimball.  To this union five children were born, Beverly Joy, Cherry Kay, Carolyn Lee, Mark Alan and Randall Dean. Their married life started out on a little farm north of Ansley, and then they moved to Colorado for two years.  Donna and Delbert moved to North Platte, and then Broken Bow.  While living in Broken Bow, Donna sold Avon before settling in Callaway, NE in 1964.  They bought the Fertilizer and Propane business and renamed it Progressive Fertilizer and Propane, which is still in the family.  Donna began her career in nursing when the Callaway Good Samaritan Nursing Home was built in 1962.  She became a night nurse and worked for 10 years, working five nights and sometimes six  nights a week. Later she accepted a job at Dr. M.L. Chaloupka’s office as a clinic nurse.  She always said there couldn’t have been a better teacher than him.  Of course, the local café coffee drinkers had bets on how long they could work together, but to their surprise they worked together until his death in 1983.  When Dr. Chaloupka moved to Broken Bow and went to work in an office with Dr. Loren Jacobsen, she continued working for both of them until 1990. Donna became a member of the Callaway United Methodist Church and was a member of the Faith Circle.  At one time she taught an after school youth group in Callaway.  Donna served on the Custer County Foundation Board, Custer County Friends of the Arts Board, and was a member of the Red Hats and Sorosis Clubs of Callaway.  She enjoyed many crafts, loved oil and china painting, made porcelain dolls, as well as the clothes the dolls wore.  She painted china jewelry boxes for all of her granddaughters to give to their classmates their senior year. She traveled to Europe for six weeks and also spent time in Canada, Mexico, Alaska and many other States. Donna loved Christmas and decorated every room in her house for Christmas because all of her children and grandchildren came home.  She had stockings she had made for all and got them out each year to fill. Survivors include her five children; Joy (Larry) Schaffert of Lincoln, NE,  Cherry Alger of Gothenburg, NE,  Carolyn (Gene) Schneringer of Callaway, NE,  Mark (Margie) Kimball of Callaway, NE,  Randy (Beth) Kimball of Callaway, NE, thirteen grandchildren; Suzann (Steve) Young, Omaha, NE, Kristin (Adam) Bailey, Omaha, NE, Jason (Kristin) Schaffert of Lincoln, NE, Brenda Schaffert of Fredrick, VA, Kristy (Matthew) Connolley, Gothenburg, NE, Scott (Kayla) Peterson, Gothenburg, NE, Mitchell (Renee`) Schneringer, Fremont, NE, Kenna (Andrew) Truslow, Lincoln, NE, Shelby (Rod) Schultz, North Platte, NE, Jacy (Larz) Thompson, Kansas City, KS, Chelsey Kimball, Denver, CO, Stacey (Brian) Demery, Omaha, NE and Brooke Kimball, Lincoln, NE, Nineteen great grandchildren, three sisters, Dixie Pappas of Cleveland, OH, Meredith Zutavern of Dunning, NE and Audrey Miller of Broken Bow, NE. She is also survived by a host of nieces, nephews and other family and friends. Donna was preceded in death by her husband, Delbert, in March 1984, her parents, Virgil and Helen Datus, sister and brother-in-law, Beatrice and Ivan Cooley, brother and sister-in-law, Ed and Ellen Datus, and brother-in-law, Bill Zutavern.