Donna Gunderson

Nov. 4, 1962 – Feb. 4, 2023

Rugby

Donna Jean (Arlien) Gunderson, the daughter of Raymond and Delores (Johnson) Arlien was born on November 4, 1962 in Rugby, North Dakota. She died at the age of 60 years on Saturday, February 4, 2023 peacefully under the care of her family and hospice at her home in Rugby, North Dakota.

Donna was born and raised in Rugby, graduating from Rugby High School in 1981. She attended college at Mayville State before she started working in the healthcare industry in Cando, Devils Lake and Rugby. On August 22, 1987, she married Craig Gunderson at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Rugby. They were blessed with their son, Eric, who they raised in Rugby. In 1996, Donna began working at the Cenex C-store where she worked until the time of her death. She was hard-working, always dedicated and a great manager who loved her job and staff. Donna took care of everyone and everything, whether it be at work or with family and friends, she would drop everything to help in any way. She was kind, caring, an idea maker and planner of all things including the family reunions. During her free-time, she loved playing board games, reading, anything and everything Harry Potter, loved baking, usually more than anyone could eat – and her love of baking led her to collect aprons. She also loved holidays and would always bring her famous Chex mix. Her family was everything to her, when she became a grandma, her heart grew bigger and couldn’t spend enough time with them. She was a member of the St. Paul Lutheran Church. She was proud of her family and she will be greatly missed.

Donna is survived by Craig Gunderson; her son, Eric (Paige) Gunderson; grandchildren, Payton and Lenyx Gunderson; sisters, Karen Arlien and LaRae (Danny) Selvig; brother, John (Karen) Arlien; many nieces, nephews; cousins; other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her father, Raymond Arlien; her mother, Delores Arlien-Harmel; step-father, LaVerne Harmel; grandparents, Melvin and Ruth Arlien, Alfred and Olena Johnson and Henry and Selma Harmel; cousins, Brenda Burns and Scott Erb; aunts/uncles, Adeline Erb, Shirley and Duane Burns; Dara Arlien, Osborne Arlien and Kenny Erb

Funeral services were held at 2:00 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9th at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Rugby with burial in the spring in the Persilla Watts Cemetery, Rugby. Pastor Christopher Neuendorf, officiating

Organist: Dianne Montonye

Vocalist: Kevin Lashman

Casket Bearers Nieces/Nephews: Jared Arlien, Ethan Arlien, Jessie Harmel, Keenan Arlien, Jacob Selvig and Jacie Selvig

Arrangements with the Anderson Funeral Home of Rugby. Online registry: www.funeralsbyanderson.com

Published by The Pierce County Tribune, February 11, 2023.