Donna Mae Marano

Birth Date: 05/02/1941
Deceased Date: 08/19/2025

Born on May 2, 1941, Donna was a loving mother, stepmother, grandmother, sister, and friend. She attended Wausau Senior High School and was a devoted Lutheran who enjoyed being a Bible School Teacher. For many years, she worked as an optician and eventually owned her own business. She loved working with people and always greeted everyone with a smile. Donna had a passion for writing poetry, and was proud to have some of her work published in poetry books. She also had a soft spot for cats, caring for several feral ones and enjoying her own kitties.

Donna is preceded in death by her parents, Gilman Olson and Dorothy Boardman; two brothers, Leroy and Edward Olson; her longtime friend and the father of her daughters, Dale Kurth; and nephews Jason Pischke, Jerry Olson, and Kenny Olson.

She is survived by her two daughters, Coleen Morse and Christine (Daniel) Revoir; a sister, Mary Olson-Sinz; and two stepchildren, Kari Marano and Brian (Erika) Marano. She also leaves behind two grandson’s, Derek (Casey) Kurth and Brandon Au-yong; three granddaughter’s Sarah and Jessica Morse, and Stephanie (Jason) Rosenow; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and other family members from Wisconsin whom she loved dearly.

A celebration of life will be held at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 2920 Veterans Parkway, Clayton, NC on October 25, 2025, at 2 p.m.
Refreshments will be served following the inurnment. A live feed will be available for those who are out of state at http://holycrossclayton.com/ or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFWp14weSisxJFzEf7lGGUQ.

A separate service will be held in Wisconsin at a later date in the spring of 2026.

In lieu of flowers, Donna requested that donations be made to a local animal rescue.