Obituary: Donna Rader, 80, Ludington.

Donna Rader

Obituary: Donna Rader, 80, Ludington.

Donna May Rader, 80, of Ludington passed away Thursday, January 3, 2019 following a long battle with dementia. She was born September 14, 1938 in Marne to Harry and Bertha (Porter) Maher. Donna graduated from Catholic Central High School in Grand Rapids.

Donna worked as a supervisor for Old Kent Bank for many years. She went on to get her LPN from West Shore Community College and worked at Grand Oaks Nursing Home in Baldwin for over 20 years. Donna married the late David Rader on June 7, 1978 in Grand Rapids. They enjoyed 25 years together before David’s passing in 2003.

Donna enjoyed gardening, bird watching, mushroom hunting, and spending time with her family. She was an avid reader and she loved to swim, fish, and water ski.  Donna loved to learn about her ancestry and she spent many hours researching their past. She loved her pets, especially her two dogs and her cat named Precious, who was anything but.

Donna will be greatly missed by her children, Tammy Sturgill of Ludington, Edward (Rommila) Spyker of Ludington, John Boomgaard of Tulsa, Okla., and James (Terri) Boomgaard of Branch; her step-daughters, Tammy Michelle (Ken) Myers and Tanya (Fred Patznick) Rader; her 17 grandchildren, and numerous great-grandchildren.

Besides her parents, Donna was preceded in death by her husband David, her brother, Harry Maher, and her sisters, Adella Vester and Helen Erzen.

The family would like to express their sincerest gratitude to Sutter Living Center for all their care and compassion for Donna over the last four plus years.

A visitation will be held Wednesday, January 9, 2019 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Oak Grove Funeral Home in Ludington. A funeral will be held Thursday, January 10, 2019 at 1 p.m. with visitation one hour prior also at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions in Donna’s name may be directed to the Walk to end Alzheimer’s of West Michigan.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Oak Grove Funeral Home of Ludington, www.oakgroveludington.com.