Donna Frohardt, age 71, of Sac City, IA passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by her family on Tuesday, October 22, 2024. Donna L. DeBruin was born on February 28, 1953 in Oskaloosa, IA to parents Ray and Evedina (Roozeboom) DeBruin. She was born at home, on the day they moved to the new farm that her parents had just purchased in Cedar, IA. She attended Oskaloosa Christian Grade School and graduated from Pella Christian High School in 1971. After graduating, Donna attended Iowa Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing and graduated with her Registered Nurse degree in 1974. She worked as a nurse for over 40 years, starting in pediatrics in Des Moines. She worked many years at Loring Hospital with 20 years in Home Health and Hospice. Donna finished her nursing career at St. Anthony Hospital in mental health. She retired in November of 2020. She touched countless lives throughout her years as a dedicated, loving, and caring nurse.
On March 4, 1978, Donna married the love of her life, Nicholas Frohardt, at the Christian Reform Church in Oskaloosa. The two met after her sister set them up on a blind date and the rest is history. Nich and Donna were blessed with four children, Eric, Nicholas, Daniel, and Robin. They made their home in Sac City where they raised their children.
At home with her family, Donna was a wonderful wife, mother, and grandmother. Taking no shortcuts, she served her family in the most thoughtful ways. She did so many little things: cooked everyone’s favorite meals from scratch, baked endless treats, sewed and quilted blankets for many loved ones, and found ways to show her creativity through homemade cards, crafts, and scrapbooks. She loved gardening; from planting boundless flowers around the house to produce at the farm, she had a knack for beautiful, flourishing gardens.
As the grandkids came about, she extended the same care and thoughtfulness, never forgetting a birthday. She traveled with Nich frequently to visit her children and grandchildren, and her support was ever present through the trials and challenges that the family faced along the way. Donna humbly served us all.
Donna was a woman of deep faith in our Lord and Savior. She was a devoted member of Bethel Baptist Church in Newell, IA, and served the church over the years. Her foundation of faith was a steady hand as she and Nich guided the family, raising four children to their own faith and grounding them all through both joy and adversity.
She loved music and enjoyed playing the piano. She made the house a home; a place of welcome and comfort where the children and grandchildren could find happiness, food, and peace.
Donna was a gentle, thoughtful, calm, and caring woman who never complained. Her touch of humor and wit was adored by family and close friends. She did for others and never for recognition; she was a very humble person. She will be missed so much by all who knew and loved her. She is now with her maker and savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; freed from sin and death through faith in Jesus’s finished work on the cross. Her family rejoices in that truth and by God’s grace, we through personal faith in Jesus will one day join her.
Survivors include her husband, Nich Frohardt of Sac City, IA; children: Eric (Lea) Frohardt of Omaha, NE, Nicholas (Jill) Frohardt of Omaha, NE, Daniel (Rachael) Frohardt of Orlanda, FL, and Robin (George) Drinnin of Papillion, NE; grandchildren: Luke, Daisy, Lilly, and Daphne Frohardt, Zoe and Elle Frohardt, Lauren and Bennett Frohardt, George, Joey, and Jacob Drinnin; siblings: Joyce (Alvin) VanWyk of Ocheyedan, IA, Linda (Dick) Milholland of Asheville, NC, Harold (Ruth) DeBruin of Oskaloosa, IA, and Carol (Lawrence) Hill of Asheville, NC; in-laws Fred (Donna) Frohardt of Saco, ME, Avis (Roland) Lussier of Owls Head, ME, and Cliff (Cathy) Frohardt of Lake View, IA; many nieces, nephews, cousins, and other extended family members and friends.
Donna was preceded in death by her parents, Ray and Evedina DeBruin; and parents-in-law Calvin and Leone Frohardt.
