Donna (Mae Nelson) Wittnebel, 89, peacefully passed on March 13, 2022, surrounded by her husband and children at her home in Houston, Texas.

Born September 12, 1932 in Alden Township, Minnesota, she is predeceased by her parents Selma Anderson and Clarence Nelson of Conger, Minnesota.

Donna is survived by her husband Ronald, her son Doug (Momoko) Wittnebel of Walnut Creek, CA, daughter Kelly (X B) Cox of Colorado Springs, CO, daughter Kristi (Jerry) Eumont of Sugar Land, TX, and daughter Jill Wittnebel of Los Angeles, CA. Also surviving are grandchildren Jordan Peterson, Christopher Eumont, Jack Eumont, Luke Eumont and Zoe Wittnebel; niece Susan Lynn Wittnebel and nephew Scott Wittnebel of Minneapolis, MN.  One grandson, X B "Boone" Cox IV preceded her in death.

Donna met Ronald Wittnebel at the University of Minnesota and they married on March 9, 1956. The following year they relocated to Oklahoma for Ron's service in the U.S. Army.  After the Army, Ron joined Shell Oil Co., they enjoyed living in Mississippi and Louisiana. It was in Louisiana where she perfected her stuffed shrimp and crawfish étouffée and her gardening and floral arranging skills. She enjoyed taking her kids to Mardi Gras parades and dancing to Pete Fountain in the streets of New Orleans.

They moved to Houston in 1983 and she became involved in the golfing community at Raveneaux Country Club. Donna was an active member of the RLGA and was committed to their Junior Golf Program — she loved watching the future golf stars learn how to hit the ball. When Ron retired in 1989, they travelled extensively to Europe, Asia, Africa and the U.S.  Her favorite places were Paris, Botswana for safari, Kauai, and Phuket.

During the most recent years, Donna cherished her Book Club friends who describe her as always smiling, upbeat and maybe even a little competitive (wink wink). She looked forward to the Friday luncheons filled with laughter and stories about families across the country.

She taught her kids to do their best in school, to not be afraid of a challenge, and to be proud of their accomplishments in life. Her cancer treatment at MD Anderson included a personal interview about her life — here is an excerpt:

I am most proud of my family. I was tough with my children; I required that they brought home good grades and that they studied. That has only inspired them to continue the same way, doing their jobs well as they have come into their careers. …That was very important to me. I wouldn't be happy if they had not been successful at what they were doing. I always wanted them to be very honest, tell the truth, and do the best job they could do.

Please join us for a memorial service for an amazing lady at 2pm on Saturday, March 19 at Klein Funeral Home.

For those not able to attend, a Live Stream link has been provided;

https://youtu.be/3tfiCFYJLr4

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages contributions to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the American Cancer Society.

https://www.lls.org/

https://donate3.cancer.org/