Donna Vay Furleigh

Donna Vay Furleigh, 91, of Clear Lake, died February 26 at the Oakwood Care Center in Clear Lake.

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday March 8, 2025 at Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 310 1st Avenue N, Clear Lake. Interment will take place at Clear Lake Cemetery following the service. Visitation will take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, March 7, 2025 at the funeral home. Family suggests memorial contributions can be made to the Clear Lake Public Library Foundation.

Born on a farm December 18, 1933, to parents Donald and Gwendolyn Burgess in Panora, Iowa, she was proud to have been raised a hard-working farm girl. Donna attended the rural schools of Guthrie County where she placed first in a county-wide academic test in 8th grade as well as receiving numerous singing awards before graduating from Panora High school in 1952. Reading and basketball were her favorite high school activities. She attended Iowa State University where she received her Home Economics degree in 1956, while working at the Soil Testing Laboratory, cleaning houses and working in a fabric store to help pay for college.

She met the love of her life, Robert H. Furleigh, during play practice at ISU and Bob proposed to her under the campanile “even though he didn’t have a ring at that time.”  On September 22, 1956, she married Bob at the Panora Christian Church, in Panora, in a wedding dress that her mother made. Donna and Bob lived their whole lives after marriage east of Clear Lake where they farmed with Bob’s parents and raised their two sons Dwight and Ben. Donna and Bob also started and managed Furleigh Farms strawberry and vegetable farm that was a summer tradition of the North Iowa area. They relied on the help and support of Chuck and Kathy Grove in the management of the entire farming operation both before and after retirement and they have become part of the family.

In retirement Donna and Bob spent winters in their home in Punta Gorda, Florida for twenty-three years, and enjoyed traveling internationally with a Viking cruise down the Danube River being especially memorable.

Donna had many interests, chiefly among them gardening and reading. She sang in many weddings and in church choir, and was a member of the Library Reading Club and Ladies Home Improvement Club for many years.  After Bob’s passing in 2023, she also spent time visiting family and friends, tending her flower garden and getting a lot of enjoyment from feeding and caring for the birds.

She is survived by her two children, Dwight (Cheri) of Tonica, Ill., and Ben (Rachel) of Port Charlotte, Flor.; three grandchildren, Alexander, Erin “Katy”, and Erik. She is also survived by her sister Joyce Good of Sarasota, Florida, her brother, Doug (Sandy) Burgess, Ames, Marshall (Linda) Burgess, Panora, and several nieces, nephews, cousins, friends as well as cherished farm partners and friends, Chuck and Kathy Grove.

She was preceded in death by her parents: Donald and Gwendolyn Burgess; husband, Robert, as well as sister Rita Shook.

Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.