Donna Margaret (Nash) Morken, 78

Donna Margaret (Nash) Morken went home to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on April 5, 2022, due to pancreatic cancer.

Donna was born to Alvin and Margaret Nash July 29, 1943, in Great Falls, The third of five children.

The Nash’s moved to Hungry Horse in 1946 in anticipation of Hungry Horse Dam being built, and Alvin was a carpenter.

While waiting for the dam construction to start, Alvin built the family a little cabin to live in which later turned into the Crooked Tree Motel.

Donna’s early years in Hungry Horse were filled with adventure and being a tomboy — anything the boys would do, she would try.

Donna attended grade school in Hungry Horse except when her parents had to leave for winter employment. She attended two years in Washington and one year in California. She went from sixth grade in Hungry Horse to Columbia Falls Junior High for seventh and eighth grades, and Columbia Falls High School all four years. After high school she attended Evengel College in Springfield, Missouri. For one year.

She came home and went to work at the aluminum plant.

She met Phil Morken that fall in 1962 and became engaged Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, 1962, and they were married the next Aug. 24, 1963, by Pastor Bob Ross in Hungry Horse Assembly of God. To that union there were two children, a son Richard Morken, and a daughter Wendy Morken (Hilliard).

Preceding her in death were her parents Alvin and Margaret Nash, and one brother Gary Nash, and various aunts, uncles and cousins.

She is survived by two sisters and one brother, her two children Richard Morken (Denise) and Wendy (Morken) Hilliard (Zeph) and three grandchildren, Tenera Morken, Richard’s daughter, and Wendy’s children Z.J. (Zephrey James) Hilliard and Starla (Hilliard) Barnes (Shannon); also 10 great-grandchildren.

Donna was a stay-at-home mom and loved her children dearly. She was active in their school activities, being room mother, took care of the lunch program, and drove the children to their school activities, ball games, etc. She also was very involved in the church, taught Sunday School class, and made sure the children made it to their church activities every week.

Living on the lake meant a lot of our children’s friends were there to play, swim, boat, etc. Donna was in charge, plus preparing extra food, etc.

Donna went back to work in 1984 and eventually wound up at the Department of Natural Resources, State of Montana, and retired in 2003.

After Phil retired they bought a place in Yuma, Arizona, and spent the next 18 years going there in the wintertime. They met a lot of great friends and enjoyed the warm weather, did lots of desert runs with friends and covered thousands of miles, enjoying the scenery and other interesting things. About six years ago Donna’s back went bad and she could no longer stand the bouncing across the desert so that ended that, but we still enjoyed ourselves playing and singing in different music jams.

Donna was very friendly and a genuine lady and had hundreds of friends here in the Flathead where she and Phil have spent 53 of their married years on Echo Lake, plus she had many friends in Yuma.

This is her last goodbye on this earth, but if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you will see her again on the other side.

Visitation will be at 9 a.m. Friday, April 15, at Buffalo Hill Funeral Home with funeral services at 11 a.m. Burial will follow at Glacier Memorial Gardens, with a reception at Buffalo Hill Funeral Home following the committal.

Friends are encouraged to visit the website www.buffalohillfh.com to leave notes of condolence for the family. Buffalo Hill Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for the family.