Donna May Kottke

Donna May Timm was born September 1, 1933 in Garfield, Washington, the sixth of eight children. She grew up on a 325 acre farm about three miles north of Garfield. After graduating high school she moved to Spokane to attend business school and learned typing and shorthand. Her first job was as a stenographer with Equitable Life Assurance Society.

Donna met Art Kottke, a GI stationed at Fairchild AFB, the summer of 1952. They were married on April 5, 1953 in an evening candlelight ceremony in Garfield. She was 19, he was 22. While Art was in the Air Force the family lived in Italy, the Philippines, and many bases in the Pacific Northwest. Donna’s stenographer skills were in high demand wherever they went and she usually worked on the same base where Art was stationed.

Between 1954 and 1961 Art & Donna had four children. Donna continued to work until 1965 when she decided she needed to be a stay-at-home mom and raise her four kids. When Art was transferred to Thailand for an unaccompanied tour of duty he moved the family to Spokane where Donna raised the kids on her own for a year until he returned. In May of 1969 Art left the Air Force and the family settled in Spokane.

Once her youngest child was in high school, Donna returned to work. She worked for the Department of Housing and Urban Development for many years until her retirement on May 1, 1992. She started her career as a secretary and eventually became a loan specialist. After her retirement she enjoyed spending time traveling and compiling family histories.

Donna was a dedicated member of the United Church of God where she was dearly a dearly beloved servant and example until the day of her death.

Art and Donna were married for 61 years, until Art’s death on January 31, 2014. Donna is also preceded in death by her son, Donald Kottke, and daughter, Diane (Tim) Rohrer. She is survived by her son Barry (Tricia) Kottke, daughter Beverly (Steve) Pronishan, six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

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