Linda (Frei) Donarski

Linda Donarski, 79, of Stephen, died unexpectedly on Sunday, December 1, 2024, in North Valley Health Center of Warren, MN.

Linda Frei was born on July 2, 1945, in Warren, to Vernon and Grace (Grandstrand) Frei. The oldest of four children, she was raised on the family farm in Nelson Park Twp. halfway between Englund Store and Salem Lutheran Church. She attended the Englund School until the 8th grade (walking uphill the mile there and back) before attending Stephen High School, graduating with the class of 1963. That fall on October 5, she was married to Ron Donarski- the same fella she'd asked to a Sadie Hawkins dance a few years prior. They made their home in St. Thomas, ND, where Ron began trucking and Linda began her life's work of raising the family and managing her husband's business, Donarski Trucking. For decades Linda kept the books for Ron, and was off only once, by the cost of a single toll ticket, and this discovered after months and months of audits. In addition to her near-perfect accounting, Linda cooked for the truckers, washed their semi bedding in her own home, and managed to keep three sons and a daughter mostly out of trouble.

In the late 1970s, Linda worked in potato warehouses for Clarence Carlson and later became an expert State of Minnesota Potato Inspector. She aced the program with her practical knowledge- which didn't end at potatoes. She enjoyed gardening, was an excellent cook, and was even on the volunteer ambulance for a number of years. Sometime in the 1990s, Linda added more to her plate, owning and operating the cafe, Roni's Kitchen (and in her typical humility refused to name it after herself). She later cooked for senior meals, and ran the kitchen at the Tamarac in Stephen before hanging it up on her 73rd birthday.

Linda was a raspy-voiced storyteller, a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, and a woman who shared her talents well. In the last years Salem Lutheran Church was open, Linda even walked in the footsteps of her grandfather for awhile, serving as a lay-minister.

She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.

Linda is survived by three sons, Kevin (Dawn), Shawn (Kristi), and Terry Donarski; daughter, Ronalin Steer; five grandchildren: Samantha, Amanda, Tiffany, Lane, and Austin; great-grandkids, Avynn, Kemry, Finnley, Ashtyn, Braxtin, and Marlie; brother, Gale (Fanny) Frei; sister, Lori (Darwyn) Anderson; sister-in-law, Ellen Frei; and her nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 59 years, Ron (d. 03/11/2023); her parents, Vernon and Grace; and her brother, "Big Al" Frei (d. 12/03/2020).

FUNERAL SERVICE: Saturday, December 7, 2024, at 3:00 PM, in First Lutheran Church of Stephen, MN.

A RECORDING may be found here: Linda Donarski Funeral Service
VISITATION: One hour prior at the church.
INTERMENT: To follow in Salem Lutheran Cemetery, rural Stephen, MN.