Donna Mae LaBine

COTTAGE GROVE – Donna M. LaBine, age 75, of Cottage Grove, passed away peacefully on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2020. She was born on June 26, 1945, in West De Pere, Wis., the daughter of Thomas Gleason Sr. and Mabel (Gegare) Gleason. Donna graduated from West De Pere High School in 1963. She married John LaBine on Feb. 27, 1965, and they had two girls, Cheri and Wendy. Donna began working at the Prange Way store in Green Bay in the shoe department and eventually became a District Manager for the shoe company. In 1994, Donna opened Gramma D’s Daycare when her youngest grandchild was born. Creating many happy memories, Donna ran the daycare for eight years until moving to Cottage Grove in 2002. She later worked as a mail clerk at WPS in Madison until she retired in 2011. Most of all, Donna enjoyed doing things with and for her family, in particular her children and grandchildren. She was a great cook, trying new dishes and often baking from scratch. She also loved to garden, including vegetables but mostly creating beautiful flower gardens. Her front yard was bursting with annuals blooming in stages allowing for color throughout the spring, summer and early fall. Donna also enjoyed sewing, making many hand-made outfits for her girls when they were young and specializing in memorable Halloween costumes and amazing quilts in her later years. Donna is survived by her two daughters, Cheri (Tim) Witkowski and Wendy LaBine (Joseph McGhee); grandchildren, Phillip (Jane) Bredeson and Kaeley Bredeson (Matt Kowalski) and Renee Hegge. She is further survived by her brothers, John (Martha), Pat (Lynn), Mike (Oberia) and Donald Gleason; sister, Eileen (David) Geurts; brother-in-law, Ron Lambrecht; and sister-in-law, Mary Gleason; many nieces and nephews; and her beloved dog, Jasper. In addition to her parents, Donna was preceded in death by her husband, John LaBine; siblings, Thomas III and Jerry Gleason and Rosemary Lambrecht; sister-in-law, Sue Gleason; nephews, Eddie Gleason and Matthew Geurts; and niece, Nancy Gleason. Donna was also preceded in death by her beloved yellow lab, Sarge, who played hide and seek with the children in the daycare when he was young and later took many walks with her on the Glacial Drumlin Trail. Due to COVID-19 safeguards, a small, PRIVATE memorial service will be held at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL AND CREMATION CARE, 5203 Monona Drive, Madison, at 11 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. Friends and family who wish to view the service via LIVE STREAM may visit Donna’s obituary page at www.gundersonfh.com and click on the Watch Webcast link at the time of the service. The LaBine family would like to thank the extraordinary staff at Badger Prairie Health Care Center in Verona for the kind and compassionate care they provided Donna. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com. Gunderson East Funeral & Cremation Care 5203 Monona Drive (608) 221-5420