Donna Rasmussen May

Published 11:39 am Wednesday, December 18, 2024

May 28, 1943 – November 30, 2024

With immense sadness the family of Donna Rasmussen May shares the news of her passing at the age of 81 on November 30, 2024. She was born May 28, 1943, in Waupaca, Wisconsin. She moved to and from many places as a child until she and her parents settled in Medford, Oregon.

In her high school years, Donna was a majorette in the band and was a volunteer nurse’s aide, known as a candy striper, for a local nursing home. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Southern Oregon College. She was a 5th grade teacher at Ruch Elementary for 9 years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. She later returned to Southern Oregon College to get her master’s degree. She wrote for The Daily Tidings Newspaper in Ashland, Oregon, and then went on to work for the Mail Tribune as an expert proofreader.

Donna loved being a mother, and she was an amazing one, completely devoted to her four children. She was always doing special things for her kids. She volunteered for many activities including the PTA while her kids were in school. Her greatest joy was her children. Everything she did was with her children in mind, and she made many sacrifices to put them before herself during her entire life.

She loved her family and friends with her whole heart and described them as “the salt of the earth,” extremely good hearted, honest, and always there for you. She was also like this. Once you were a friend of hers you were a friend for life. She had many friends she had known her entire life, she was extremely loyal and would always do whatever she could to help them. She was hilarious and she would get the whole room laughing with the things she would say. She was so brave. She kept her fantastic sense of humor her entire life, even through all the challenges. She made her doctors laugh on a regular basis. Even during hard times, she was such a joy to be around.

She was a member of the Zion Lutheran Church. She was a Green Bay Packers fan. She drove a 1967 Mustang. She always wanted to do the right thing. She loved the sound of rain on the roof. She appreciated the little things. She loved old movies, reading, completing crosswords and gardening. She was smart, funny, loyal, brave, frugal, and most of all she was incredibly loving and caring. Her smile was so sweet, she lit up the room. She shined brightly and always will. We will continue to honor her, take her good advice, remember her stories, and love her with all our hearts. She was a very special person, and will be missed enormously.

She is preceded in death by her mother, Ella Olson, and her father, Donald Fosgate. She is survived by her children, Jeremy, Matthew, Benjamin, and Daisy Wooton, her sister, Carolyn Milana, and by her grandchildren, Jesse and Emily Wooton and Theodore McNab.

Funeral services will be held Thursday, December 19, 2024 at Perl Funeral Home & Siskiyou Memorial Park, 2100 Siskiyou Blvd, Medford, OR 97504 at 1:00 p.m. Friends and family may visit from 10:00 am preceding the service.