Donna J. Stoltenberg

Donna Stoltenberg, 93, of Northwood formerly of Mason City, passed away on Sunday, January 4, 2026, at the Lutheran Retirement Home in Northwood. A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 9, 2026, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 213 N Pennsylvania Ave. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Burial will be held in Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorials can be directed to the family of Donna Stoltenberg.

Born on March 21, 1932, in Mason City to Glenn and Olga (Olson) Thoen, Donna grew up surrounded by a large & loving family. She graduated from Northwood High School in 1950 and was always glad to attend class reunions; many classmates remaining her close friends.

Donna married Roger (Chris) Stoltenberg in 1952. Together they built their home in Mason City where with great faith, devotion, and discipline raised their five children. She cherished the blessing of identical twin daughters sewing many matching outfits and becoming an active member of the “Mothers of Twins” Club looking forward to their annual picnic.

Roger and Donna made Trinity Lutheran Church their church home, and remained active members throughout their lives. Donna served the church in many aspects. She proudly displayed her Norwegian Heritage at the annual Scandinavian Bazaar making lefse, rommegrot, and various pastries. Dressed in full Norwegian attire she helped prepare and serve the meal and traditional delicacies. Her artistic talent was shown in her intricate Rosemaling with painted signs and candlesticks for the bazaar. Fond of her heritage, she was an active member of the “Sons of Norway”. Through her involvement with the WELCA, she was faithfully committed to providing a fun bingo experience for the residents of Good Shepherd Nursing Home. She also enjoyed serving on the church affiliated KCMR Radio Station Board and volunteering weekly in their office.

After high school, until her marriage, Donna worked at Standard Oil in Mason City. She worked the weekend night shift as switchboard operator at Mercy Hospital retiring in 1995. She loved meeting new people selling Avon and volunteering as the community “Welcome Wagon” hostess for many years.

Donna was a great cook & baker! She collected many recipes over the years, but the “best” were from her family files cherished for generations. She shared many favorites, hand-written with beautiful penmanship in notebooks for her kids.

Her most cherished moments were time spent with family and friends at large gatherings and picnics with plenty of good food for all.

Donna enjoyed collecting Precious Moments figurines with the belief that certain pieces and dated ones would be of significant value one day. Better luck came her way in the year 2000 when she purchased a winning lottery ticket. She was thrilled to share, invest, do some much-needed home renovations, and purchase a van which was a luxury for family trips & vacations. Donna and her husband liked to travel with their young children, grandchildren, and alone in later years. Although Donna wouldn’t travel by plane or ship, they managed to visit every state in the continental U.S.

The flood of 2008 (the year following her husband’s passing) forced Donna to move from her home of 50+ years to the Village Coop Apts. in Mason City where she adapted to single life, gathering with others for activities, playing cards, and potlucks.

Her final years were spent at the Lutheran Retirement Home in Northwood with some very dedicated & loving caregivers. She shared her quick wit with them & her favorite sentiment “crappiapis” ;)

Donna is survived by her sons Randy (Rose Ann) Stoltenberg and Gary Stoltenberg, daughters Judy (Dan) Miller, and Janet (Doug) Schmitz, brothers Bob (Terri) Thoen, David (Helen) Thoen, and John (Drenda) Thoen, and sister Sandra Thoen, grandchildren Amy Adams, Rachel (Rob) Springer, John Stoltenberg, Nikki (Rob Herman) Stoltenberg, Kendra (Joe) Taormina, Shanna (Timothy Arndt) Stoltenberg, Jenna Stoltenberg, Danielle (Nathan) Dykstra, Devyn Miller, and Ryan (Hannah) Schmitz. Also left to remember her are seven great-grandchildren, cousins, and many nieces and nephews along with great-nieces and nephews.

Preceding her in death was her husband Roger (Chris) Stoltenberg in 2007, her son Tim Stoltenberg in 2021, Parents Glenn & Olga Thoen, parents-in-law Herman and Anna Stoltenberg, sisters Marj Wescott, Ruth Erion, and Susan Dieterich, and several cousins and dear friends.