Obituary for Donna Weber
Donna Jane Weber, 83, of Leavenworth, Kansas, passed away peacefully at her home surrounded by family, Thursday April 13, 2023.
She was a devoted wife and mother who gave of herself in many ways. She was active in her church, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church of Leavenworth, and cared for several elderly family members during their last years.
Donna was born on July 13, 1939, to Joseph Charles Walter and Blanche Marie (Slack) (Walter) Jost in Leavenworth at St. John’s Hospital. Donna attended Leavenworth Catholic schools and graduated from Immaculata High School. As a young woman, she worked at the St. John’s Hospital diet kitchen and at the Hallmark plant in Leavenworth for several years.
She met her husband, Leo Francis Weber, and they married on December 2, 1967. He served in the Vietnam War and returned to live with her on the Leavenworth County farm where he grew up. After marriage, Donna was a proud home maker and a farm wife. She and Leo built their house together with their own hands and raised a son there. She rode on the backs of John Deere tractors and hay wagons, tended a garden, raised chickens, and cared for her mother-in-law and brother-in-law living next door. Donna loved animals her entire life and they loved her, including her cats, Tiger and Bill. Donna and Leo enjoyed rambling around Kansas and Missouri, going to farm auctions, sales, antique shops, and eating in local diners.
Donna had many friends who gave her great joy. She always went early to her 4:00 PM Saturday church mass so that she could visit with them and enjoy their company. Other fun times with her friends included regular lunch engagements and social gatherings like taco nights and country music performances at the Eagles, and Altar Society gatherings. A lifelong resident of Leavenworth, Donna had cherished friends, many who she had known since childhood - some 80 years. Donna was a passionate bowler for much of her adult life. As a left-hander, she bowled for over 40 years at Crown Lanes and then Skyway Lanes. She made friends there as well and remembered her league years fondly, with team names such as the Ups and Downs and the Ladybugs.
She was a kind, caring and giving person who always put the needs of her family first - especially her husband and son. She was close with her sister, JoAnn Todd, her entire life. She was a strong woman who faced every challenge with courage and dignity. At 83, she was still mowing her yard, trimming trees, picking up branches and helping on the farm after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Her life was well lived and is a source of inspiration. Donna will be deeply missed by everyone whose lives she touched.
Donna was preceded in death by her husband, Leo F. Weber; father, Joseph C. Walter; step-mother, Marie Elnora (Tobler) (Hoag) Walter; sister, Shirley Jean Walter; step-sister, Lelia Mae Hoag; step-brother, Robert LeRoy Hoag; step-sister, Charlotte Elaine (Hoag) Borst; and biological mother, Blanche Jost. Donna is survived by a son, Robert Joseph Weber (Katy); sister, JoAnn (Walter) Todd; half-sister, Brenda (Walter) Lahiff; and several nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren.
Visitation beginning with praying the rosary will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, April 20, 2023, at the R.L. Leintz Funeral Home in Leavenworth, KS. Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 21, 2023, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Leavenworth, with Fr. Glenn Snow, O.Carm., as celebrant. Burial will follow at Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Lansing, KS. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Donna Weber’s name to the Leavenworth County Humane Society (LCHS) and the Leavenworth Animal Welfare Society (L.A.W.S.).
She was a devoted wife and mother who gave of herself in many ways. She was active in her church, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church of Leavenworth, and cared for several elderly family members during their last years.
Donna was born on July 13, 1939, to Joseph Charles Walter and Blanche Marie (Slack) (Walter) Jost in Leavenworth at St. John’s Hospital. Donna attended Leavenworth Catholic schools and graduated from Immaculata High School. As a young woman, she worked at the St. John’s Hospital diet kitchen and at the Hallmark plant in Leavenworth for several years.
She met her husband, Leo Francis Weber, and they married on December 2, 1967. He served in the Vietnam War and returned to live with her on the Leavenworth County farm where he grew up. After marriage, Donna was a proud home maker and a farm wife. She and Leo built their house together with their own hands and raised a son there. She rode on the backs of John Deere tractors and hay wagons, tended a garden, raised chickens, and cared for her mother-in-law and brother-in-law living next door. Donna loved animals her entire life and they loved her, including her cats, Tiger and Bill. Donna and Leo enjoyed rambling around Kansas and Missouri, going to farm auctions, sales, antique shops, and eating in local diners.
Donna had many friends who gave her great joy. She always went early to her 4:00 PM Saturday church mass so that she could visit with them and enjoy their company. Other fun times with her friends included regular lunch engagements and social gatherings like taco nights and country music performances at the Eagles, and Altar Society gatherings. A lifelong resident of Leavenworth, Donna had cherished friends, many who she had known since childhood - some 80 years. Donna was a passionate bowler for much of her adult life. As a left-hander, she bowled for over 40 years at Crown Lanes and then Skyway Lanes. She made friends there as well and remembered her league years fondly, with team names such as the Ups and Downs and the Ladybugs.
She was a kind, caring and giving person who always put the needs of her family first - especially her husband and son. She was close with her sister, JoAnn Todd, her entire life. She was a strong woman who faced every challenge with courage and dignity. At 83, she was still mowing her yard, trimming trees, picking up branches and helping on the farm after she was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Her life was well lived and is a source of inspiration. Donna will be deeply missed by everyone whose lives she touched.
Donna was preceded in death by her husband, Leo F. Weber; father, Joseph C. Walter; step-mother, Marie Elnora (Tobler) (Hoag) Walter; sister, Shirley Jean Walter; step-sister, Lelia Mae Hoag; step-brother, Robert LeRoy Hoag; step-sister, Charlotte Elaine (Hoag) Borst; and biological mother, Blanche Jost. Donna is survived by a son, Robert Joseph Weber (Katy); sister, JoAnn (Walter) Todd; half-sister, Brenda (Walter) Lahiff; and several nieces and nephews and their children and grandchildren.
Visitation beginning with praying the rosary will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, April 20, 2023, at the R.L. Leintz Funeral Home in Leavenworth, KS. Mass of Christian Burial will begin at 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 21, 2023, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Leavenworth, with Fr. Glenn Snow, O.Carm., as celebrant. Burial will follow at Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Lansing, KS. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Donna Weber’s name to the Leavenworth County Humane Society (LCHS) and the Leavenworth Animal Welfare Society (L.A.W.S.).