Donna Lou Williams, 90, was peacefully called home on Saturday, June 22, 2019.

She was born Oct. 9, 1928, to Johnny Burdette and Bertha Emelia Sathre in Austin, Minnesota. Austin is a small community that was established by Norwegian settlers long ago and continues to thrive as a farming community, along with the ever world famous original Hormel meat packing plant, where her father worked to support the family of nine children.

As an early immigrant family, in order to better keep track of each other, Donna’s maiden name “Sathre” was a name that was agreed upon by the previous generations of family members when they emigrated from Norway.  She’s actually from a very long line of prolific Pedersons and Bensons.

Shortly after graduating high school, Donna’s aspirations of becoming an airline stewardess or an actress took her to Los Angeles, California, in hopes of being discovered!

Eventually, Donna found her new home in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where raising her four children was her first priority and was done so with never a moment that lacked for love. Further down the list was the sharing of her masterful cooking skills with her children, most notably how to make lefse.

In 1977, Donna married Thomas Jefferson “TJ” Williams and they remained inseparable. This union brought together a wonderful melding of three more children referred to as the “Brady Bunch” and with the charter members numbered seven kids!

TJ, being a lifelong Elks member who ascended to the position of State President of the New Mexico Elks Association (NMEA) BPOE Lodge 461, often had conventions and such, where together he and Donna loved to travel, dance, and socialize over the years alongside the lifelong friends they had made.

Donna has surely been met with the loving arms of the Lord, in the next journey, along with her parents; and six of her siblings including, by order of birth, Harvey Burnett Sathre and wife, Alice Minnie Sathre (Johnson), Paul Luverne Sathre and wife, Alice Elizabeth Sathre (Crilly), Helen Jean (Sathre) Huseby and her husband, Byron Junior Huseby, Dorthy Mae (Sathre) Bellrichard and her husband, Basil Edward “Sparky” Bellrichard, Maynard Berdinus Sathre and wife, Joanne Jean Sathre (Turner) and William James Sathre and wife, Morna Ruth Sathre (Miner). Donna passes on the torch of the matriarchal role to her surviving sisters, Joan Beverly (Sathre) Adams and husband, Thomas Marshall Adams Jr. and Ann Marie (Sathre) Eppen and husband, Gary Dean Eppen.

Donna leaves for a little while longer her loving husband, TJ; and is also survived by seven children, Debra Lou (Kilgore) Malanify and husband, Jeff, of Albuquerque, Craig Daryl Williams of Park City, Utah, Ileen Marie (Kilgore) Molloy and husband, Marty, of Albuquerque, Karen Anita (Williams) Shelton and husband, Bill, of Austin, Texas, Sandra Lynne (Williams) Tevis (wife of Mr. Bruce Tevis, RIP) of Artesia, New Mexico, William Robert Kilgore and wife, Tracy Ann (Bowers) Kilgore, of Albuquerque and Judy Ann (Kilgore) Rieman and husband, Ralph, of Albuquerque; many nieces and nephews; grandchildren; and great-grandchildren who will miss Donna dearly.

It’s also worth mentioning that Donna had a love for dogs. If it’s true that all dogs go to heaven, it’s sure to have been overrun with Pomeranians by now.

A sincere thank you to all the family, friends and hospice angels who helped Donna on the journey to heaven.

We will see her again.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, July 1, 2019, at FRENCH Funerals in Albuquerque. Please visit our online guestbook for Donna at www.FrenchFunerals.com.