Donna K. Gavle

Friday, February 26, 2016 1:45 pm

Donna K. Gavle, 63, of Decorah, died Monday, Feb. 22, 2016, at Mayo Clinic Health System – Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse, Wis. Funeral services were at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at Washington Prairie Lutheran Church in rural Decorah, with Rev. April Ulring Larson officiating. Burial was in the church cemetery. Visitation was from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26, at Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah and Saturday beginning at 10 a.m., one hour before the service, at the church.  Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah served the family. Online condolences may be made at fjelstul.com. Organist was Karen Olson. Congregational hymns were “How Great Thou Art,” “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” and “Amazing Grace.” Honorary bearers were Kari Anfinson, Teresa Bockman, Nancy Juve, LaNae Myhre, Vickie Olson and Audrey Pierce. Casket bearers were Kevin Anderson, Mike Bergan, Bruce Cook, Keith Kearns, Dave Steffen and Troy Whitehill. Interment was at Washington Prairie Lutheran Cemetery, Decorah.

Donna Kay (Bergan) Gavle was born July 24, 1952, in Decorah, the daughter of Orval and Adeline (Haugen) Bergan. She was baptized and confirmed at Washington Prairie Lutheran Church. She attended country school and graduated from Decorah High School with the class of 1970. She was married to Dave Lowery in 1969 and they had one son, Cory. They were divorced in 1972. She married Darrell Graves in 1979 and they had one son, Josh. Darrell died in 1981. She was married to Lowell Gavle in 1983 and they had one daughter, Ashley. Donna worked for Dr. Tom Anderson in Decorah. She was a bartender at Swede’s and in Frankville. She then was a hostess at Cho Sun Restaurant in Decorah and then managed the Cho Sun Restaurant in Prairie du Chien. She then was hired as a cashier at Walmart in Prairie du Chien and then relocated to the Decorah Walmart. She enjoyed spending time with her children and grandchildren. She loved her plants and flowers, the holidays, playing board games, grilling and cooking, camping, bowling and Jeff Gordon and NASCAR.

Donna is survived by her three children: Cory (Jeanne) Lowery, Josh Graves and Ashley Gavle, all of Decorah; six grandchildren: Nicholas and Michael Lowery, Joshua and Alexandria Graves, Hayley and Kayley; one brother, Daryl (Donna) Bergan of Decorah; two sisters, Elaine (Jerry) Gipp of Decorah and Linda (Stuart) Collins of Burnsville, Minn.; one brother-in-law, Norvin Anderson of Decorah; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents; her father, Orval, in 1976; her mother, Adeline, in 2004; her husband, Darrell in 1981; one sister, Diane Anderson, in 2009; one brother, Duane Bergan, in 2011; and one sister-in-law, Carol Bergan, in 2014.