Donna Levy

Donna Jean Shaw Levy was born in Hays, Kan. to Dean and Loretta Eisenbise Shaw on Sept. 23, 1951. She attended elementary school through her junior year of high school in Grainfield, Kan. Her senior year was the first graduating class from a combined area school called Wheatland, in Grainfield, Kan. in 1968. During high school she received a Betty Crocker baking award for which she was very proud. Donna went to college for two years in Wichita at which time she beganto work for Kmart. While visiting the Kmart store her sister worked in she met Rand, and they began courting. Oct. 10, 1971 in Grainfield, Kan. she and Rand joined in matrimony. They lived in Bellville, Ill. for about a year when they moved to the Milwaukee, Wisc. for about three years. While living there Donna gave birth to their first child, Lori. In 1976, together with Rand they decided the city was not where they wanted to raise a family and they moved back to the Champion area to begin farming. In 1977, she and Rand welcomed their son, Carl, into the world. For many years she helped Rand run the farm and could quite often be seen working the fields. She became quite good at driving a grain cart and was asked on more than one occasion to drive for other farmers in the area.
Donna loved helping the guys with the cattle. When she wasn’t able to help sort she always kept great notes. Anyone who ever came to help out with cattle or farm work never had to worry about going hungry because there was always plenty of good home cooking. She sang in the United Methodist choir for many years and also participated in United Methodist Women. She enjoyed genealogy and had her family traced almost completely back to the countries they immigrated from. She made multiple trips all over to county seats, cemeteries or anywhere she could to visit a distant relative to fill in some blanks for her she was quite an investigator.
Donna’s main love and passion was caring for and spoiling her family. She would do anything from going to doctor’s appointments, sitting next to a hospital bed with a family member and tattling on Rand to the doctors when she thought he wasn’t taking good enough care of himself. Five days a week she lived with her daughter, Lori, and son-in-law, Dusty, to care for younger children while Lori was on bed rest during two different pregnancies for a total of 15 weeks. That was one of the reasons she chose to not work outside the home so she was free to do those things for family. Donna passed away in Lincoln, Neb. on March 18, 2013.
She is preceded in death by her father, Dean Shaw; grandparents; and aunts and uncles. She is survived by her husband, Rand Levy of Champion, Neb.; son, Carl Levy and wife, Julie; daughter, Lori and husband, Dusty Stutzman of Arnold, Neb.; granddaughters, Aubree, Alexis and Abigail Stutzman; mother, Loretta Shaw of Grainfield, Kan.; sister, Nancy and husband, Vic Sumpter of Wichita, Kan.; brother, Jim Shaw of Dodge City, Kan.; sister-in-law, Dot McKenzie and husband, Tom; brother-in-law, Bob Jones. She is also survived by nieces and nephews, cousins and many close friends.
Funeral services were held Saturday, March 23, 2013, at 10:30 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Imper­ial, Neb. with Pastors Bob Call and Valera Heydenberk officiating. Music was provided by the church choir with Don Newman accompanying. Casketbearers were Herman Zerr, Gene Shaw, Jim Olson, Pete Olson, Lloyd Smith, Nick Smith and Chance Skomp. Burial was held at Mount Hope Cemetery in Imperial, Neb. on March 23, 2013.
Liewer Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.