Donna J Gilles

She was born in La Crosse on December 4, 1928, to Russell and Nola (Busse) Birdsell. She married John P. Gilles on November 26, 1949, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in La Crosse. He preceded her in death on June 8, 2009.

Donna graduated from Logan High School in 1946. She worked at Doerflingers Department Store for many years, starting during high school and continuing until the stores closing. She then worked for a number of years at the La Crosse Country Club until her retirement. In her retirement years, she spent many hours volunteering at Franciscan Skemp Medical Center.

Donna was a humble, kind and gracious woman and was proud to be a member of the recovering community in La Crosse for over 23 years. She was an avid Packer fan and loved to travel, especially to Las Vegas. She enjoyed playing cards and doing jig-saw puzzles and had a special love for dancing since she met her husband, John, many years ago at the Avalon Ballroom.

Donna is survived by a son, Gerald Gilles, of La Crosse; two daughters, Jeannine Gilles of Winona, and Elizabeth Gilles of La Crosse; four grandchildren, Bradley and Adam Gilles and their mother, Effie, of Onalaska, Sara (Don) Grebing and their son, Patrick James, of Frohna, Mo., and Aaron Gehri (fianc, Stacy Gurule) of Denver, Colo.; brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Richard and Beatrice Gilles; several nieces and nephews; and a dear family friend, Laurel Eschweiler. In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by a son, Brian; and a sister, Arlene Croll and her husband, Robert.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, March 27th, at 10:00 a.m., in the Marian Chapel at the Cathedral of St. Joseph the Workman. Msgr. Charles Stoetzel will officiate. Burial will follow in Oak Grove Cemetery. Family and friends may call at the church on Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service. Memorials may be directed to the Alzheimers Association.



Donnas family would like to thank the staff at Hearten House II for the wonderful care they gave her.