LAUREL — Colette A. Donner, 66, Laurel, died Aug. 10, 2026, at Park View Haven Nursing Home, Coleridge.

A Celebration of Life Open House will be Aug. 22, from 2-5 p.m., at the Laurel VFW Club. Family and friends are encouraged to stop by, share memories, tell stories and celebrate what Colette meant to you.

Arrangements are under the direction of the Wintz Funeral Home, Laurel.

Colette was born March 23, 1960, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, to Donald Joseph and Dorrine Marie (Derrig) Box. She grew up in the Fort Dodge area and graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High School in 1978. She moved to Nebraska in the early 1980s and eventually settled in Laurel in 1988, where she remained for the rest of her life.

Colette became a mother to two daughters, Shasta and Ashley, early in her life. She married Jerome Victor Donner Dec. 12, 1996, in Wayne.

Colette was a hard worker throughout her life. Before marrying Jerome, she learned to drive a semi-truck, and later held a variety of custodial positions, including at a nursing home, for private homeowners, at the Bankcard Center and at Wayne State College. Together, Colette and Jerome worked in construction, taking on residential projects in the area.

Outside of work, Colette had a number of things she enjoyed and was known for. She was an avid gardener with a large garden, and she took great pleasure in sharing its harvest with friends, family and others in the community. She canned an impressive amount of produce, and her grape jelly was a particular favorite.

Colette also enjoyed a good card game, carrying on a family tradition of playing cards, and was always up for a trip to the casino. She enjoyed painting homemade ceramics and, perhaps most importantly, a good sweet treat. Milky Ways and peanut buster parfaits were among her favorites, and she always kept chocolate in the pantry for her midnight cravings. Some of her family members fondly remember “sneaking” chocolate with her in the middle of the night.

Colette was a hardworking, good-hearted woman with a quick wit and a sharp, sarcastic sense of humor that made her unmistakably herself. She had a way of saying exactly what was on her mind, often with a well-timed comment that brought a smile or a laugh.

Colette is survived by her husband, Jerome, Laurel; two daughters, Shasta (Nick) Hans, Wynot, and Ashley (Jesse) Jelinek, Laurel; four step children, Shannon (Scott) Burgett, Lyons; Benjamin (Wendy) Donner, Wakefield; Adam Donner, Minneapolis, Minn.; and Anthony Donner, Yankton, S.D.; 13 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; eight siblings, Cheryl (Joseph) Hughlette, Marshalltown, Iowa; Connie Davis, Branson, Mo.; Carol (Justin) Schnabel, Sheffield, Iowa; Mark Box, Sac City, Iowa; Coleen (Clare) Willsher, Marshalltown, Iowa; Carrie Box, Fort Dodge, Iowa; Cathy (Ryan) Hobza, Norfolk; and Donald Joseph II (Tonya) Box, Liscomb, Iowa; and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Donald and Dorrine Box; and three brothers, Larry, Robert and Daniel Box.