Donna Diers

Donna Diers, 89, of Orient passed away Saturday, June 5, 2021, at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines. She left her loving family to join her husband, Gail, on his heavenly birthday.

Donna Jean (Littrell) Diers was born July 17, 1931, in Fairbury, Nebraska. She was raised by her mother, Bernice (Nash) Kingery and stepfather, Walter Kingery.

Donna moved to Iowa with her mother as a young child and lived in rural Orient her entire life. She graduated from Orient Consolidated Schools in 1949.

On Dec. 6,1949, she was wed to Gail Diers in the St. John’s Catholic Parsonage in Greenfield. Gail and Donna were married for 63 years until Gail’s passing in 2013. To this union four children were born: Larry, Patricia, Janet, and Jolene. The family moved to their current farm in 1966 and embraced the farm life.

Donna was a hardworking farm wife and homemaker. She raised chickens, gardened, worked at the Orient Sale Barn and Joni’s Cafe. Donna opened her own restaurant in Orient named Donna’s Cafe which she operated for 16 years. Donna was an excellent cook and her cafe was well known for home cooked meals, cinnamon rolls and homemade pies.

The cafe was a popular gathering place for people to drink coffee and socialize. After selling the cafe and taking some time off, Donna realized how much she missed visiting with people. She returned to work at Easter’s Family Center and then at Hy-Vee in Creston until her retirement.

In her leisure time, Donna enjoyed sewing, quilting, crocheting and cross-stitching. Gail and Donna spent many evenings at gyms and ballfields watching their children participate in sports for Orient-Macksburg schools. Donna was a member of St. Mark’s Catholic Church and later St. John’s Catholic Church. She was a member of the altar and rosary societies for many years.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Gail; parents Walter and Bernice Kingery; siblings Delbert, Winston and Lois Kingery.

Survivors include her son, Larry Diers (Risa) of Orient; daughters, Patti Wilson (John) of Orient, Janet McAtee (Jeff) of Stuart and Jolene Neal (Phil) of Orient; ten grandchildren; fifteen great-grandchildren; two sisters, Phyllis Ransom (Jerome) of Newton and Joyce Kingery of Florida; sister-in-law Twila Kingery of Orient; other relatives and friends.

Mass of Christian Burial will be 10 a.m. Friday, June 11, 2021, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Greenfield, with burial in the Orient Cemetery. A luncheon will be held at the church following the committal services at the cemetery. Father Ken Gross will officiate the service.

Online condolences may be left to the family at www.steenfunerals.com. Steen Funeral Home of Greenfield is in charge of professional arrangements.

The family will greet friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, June 10, 2021, at Steen Funeral Home in Greenfield.

Memorials may be directed to Donna Diers Memorial Fund to be established by the family at a later date.