Donna C. Lazar, 91
Donna C. Lazar, 91, passed away peacefully at The Springs in Whitefish and was welcomed into heaven on Oct. 29, 2018. Donna lived a long, wonderful life and will be dearly missed by her family and friends.
Donna was born March 14, 1927, in Minot, North Dakota, to Letha Albin Prichard and Peter “Dewey” Prichard. She graduated from Minot High School in 1945. Shortly after graduation Donna moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked for the U.S. Department of the Navy. It was there that she met and fell in love with U.S. Navy Storekeeper First Class Mikail “Mike” Lazar and shortly after they married on Oct. 5, 1946. Following Mike’s discharge from the Navy, Donna told him about a beautiful little town in Montana where her aunt and uncle had a cabin on a lake.
They quickly realized this was where they wanted to put down roots and so their life together began in Whitefish. The picturesque small town was also a perfect place to raise their daughter Michelle.
Donna enjoyed a long tenure with the Whitefish School District where she worked first as a secretary to the high school principal and later for the district superintendent.
After her retirement in 1983, you could find her at the Whitefish Lake Golf Club almost every day the warm sun was shining. Then, when the long Montana winters rolled around she and Mike were off to Arizona where they met up with
family and friends to live the fun “snowbird” lifestyle.
One of Donna’s greatest joys was her granddaughter Courtney. Donna spent time helping her improve her golf game, baking their favorite gingersnap cookies, taking scenic walks to get ice cream, and most especially passing on the fine art of lefse making. Of course, they also relished their not so infrequent shopping trips with Michelle. Donna also had a knack for sewing. Whether it was prom dresses or dance costumes, her stitches were perfect.
She very much enjoyed a long fall walk shuffling through the leaves making her way downtown for a cup of coffee before heading back home.
Donna was preceded in death by her husband Mike; her parents; her brother LeRoy “Salty” Prichard, and sisters Merrie Thompson and Darlene Smith.
She is survived by her daughter, Michelle (David) Larson, of Marion; her granddaughter Courtney (“Ade” folarin) Ademosu, great-grandson Ayomide Mikail, and great-granddaughter, Simisola Grace of Vancouver, Washington; step-grandchildren Hollister Larson of Kalispell, Kymberly Larson of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and Jeffrey Larson of Ridgewood, New Jersey, and their families; niece Suzanne Marshall of Bozeman, and nephew Neal Prichard of Bismarck, North Dakota, and their families; and granddog Jack.
Donna’s family would like to thank the extraordinary team at The Springs at Whitefish. Their love and care are second to none. Thank you also to the Frontier Hospice nurses and staff for her end of life care and comfort.
A celebration of life service will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, Nov. 9, at First Presbyterian Church, 301 Central Ave, Whitefish.
Austin Funeral & Cremation Services in Whitefish is caring for the family.