Donna Marie Van Wyhe

Donna Marie Brech was the third of four children born to Anna Augusta and William Brech born August 10th 1932 on a small farm in Dimock South Dakota. The family moved to the town of Yankton in 1941 where Donna and her siblings grew up. 

She graduated from Yankton High School in 1950 and shortly thereafter through the assistance of her eldest sister she attended Saint Josephs School of Nursing in Sioux City Iowa. Upon graduation in 1954, she and two of her classmates bought a used car together and drove to Long Beach California where she started her nursing career at Harriman and Jones Hospital Clinic.

 After a brief trip back home she returned to California with her friends and settled in Santa Monica where she worked at Saint Johns Hospital. 

In 1956 she met Dick Van Wyhe who was stationed there in the US Navy. They were married in 1957. The first two of their children (Ann and Tereise) were born there and then the family moved to Eureka in 1961 where Dick completed his teaching credential, Donna worked at Saint Josephs Hospital in Eureka and their third child Mark was born. They returned to Southern California for a brief time, finding city life too busy they moved to Ukiah in 1964, their fourth child Denise was born in 1967. 

Donna worked at Ukiah General Hospital. She loved her work and her colleagues there. She truly enjoyed being a nurse and took her job very seriously. Anyone who had received care from her can tell you she was an excellent nurse. 

Donna cherished her six grandchildren and delighted in her five great grandchildren, often marveling at her good fortune to have such treasures in her life. She was a very strong yet very gentle person and will be dearly missed by her family and all who had the good fortune to call her their friend. 

In lieu of flowers donations in her name can be made to Humane Society for Inland Mendocino County Viewing May 1st Eversoles Mortuary 4-8 pm Service at St Mary of the Angels Catholic Church Friday May 2nd 12:30