Donna K. Ahle, a beloved daughter, partner, sister, aunt, and friend, passed away on August 26, 2021, after unexpected medical complications, surrounded by loved ones at Methodist Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota.

Donna was born in Rochester in 1947.  Her early years involved relocations to and from air force bases in Germany, New York, Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Japan, and Kansas, with the family eventually returning to Rochester in 1962. She graduated from Lourdes High School in 1965.

As the second oldest of eight children, Donna was a caretaker of her family and friends by nature and, later, by training, as a Licensed Practical Nurse. Donna graduated from St. Mary's School of Practical Nursing in 1966 and worked for 39 years at Mayo, first in 3DU, the Cardiac ICU, and then the Post Anesthesia Care Unit. She especially loved working with her pediatric patients in Cardiac ICU.

Donna enjoyed a relationship of 28 years with her significant other, Jim Duffney, and the two shared homes and lives in Rochester and Surprise, Arizona, as well as the pastimes of photography, golfing, dinner parties with family and friends, and movie group.  Donna and Jim would often take the long way home on their travels from Arizona, in adventures that were joined by her sister, Jennie, and Jennie's husband, Ron.  Donna traveled the world extensively from a young age, and her interest in visiting distant places never waned. She and Jim explored New Zealand and Australia together, along with Italy and a river cruise on the Rhine. Donna loved traveling to Hawaii to spend time and visit friends.

Donna will be remembered for her firm hug, soft smile, mischievous brown eyes, and big heart.  To know her was to love her, and she was generous with her time and energy, always lending a hand to friends and family in whatever way she could.  She enjoyed gifting her mom, sisters and sisters-in-law, nieces, grandnieces and friends with hand-beaded jewelry and sun catchers lovingly made and re-made until the beading was just right.  Donna was a skilled cook, capable of recreating intricate dishes from magazine spreads down to the smallest detail, often calling or texting several times after sharing a recipe to mention unwritten ingredients or to comment on how to achieve the best results.  Donna was rarely without a camera in her hands, documenting a life well-lived: catching a cactus blooming in the Arizona desert, recording her grandnieces or nephews being silly, and capturing both big and small occasions with the loved ones she cherished, all of whom already miss her dearly.

Donna is preceded in death by her father, Donald Ahle, and sister, Mary Elizabeth (Betsy) Ahle.  She is survived by her significant other, Jim Duffney (Surprise, AZ); mother, Elizabeth (Wegman) Ahle (Rochester, MN); brothers, Michael Ahle (Patti) (Roseville, CA), Tom Ahle (Ashland, OR), John Ahle (Cherrie) (Rochester, MN), and Mark Ahle (Kris Stadheim) (Rochester, MN); sisters, Jennie Cropp (Ron) (Rochester, MN) and Joan Blom (Gary) (St. Paul, MN); and twenty-eight nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

The family would like to thank 8 Mary Brigh D Neuro ICU and Eisenberg 8 ^th Floor, Palliative Care Unit for their exceptional care.

A Memorial Mass will be held Saturday, September 11, 2021, at 1:00 PM at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Rochester. Visitation will be held on Friday, September 10, from 5 – 7pm in River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home, and for one hour prior to the service at the church.

Memorials are preferred to the Mayo Clinic Poverello Fund or Mayo Clinic Research.