Donna Mae (Gross) Engleman

Donna Mae (Gross) Engleman, aged 89, passed away on February 8, 2026, surrounded by her family. The visitation and gathering with the family will be held on Thursday, February 19, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Gering Memorial Chapel. Funeral services will be held at 10 A.M. on Friday, February 20, 2026, at Gering Zion Church with Pastor Tim Hebbert officiating, followed by interment at West Lawn Cemetery.

She was born November 10, 1936, to George Gross Jr. and Leah Pauline (Lutz) Gross. Donna graduated from Gering High School in 1954. She had decided in her early years that she would like to be a teacher, having been influenced by her 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Oletha Grassmick. After high school graduation she attended Scottsbluff Junior College for the summer and received her first teaching certificate at 17 years of age. Her first teaching job was in a country school 20 miles north of Harrison, Nebraska, where she taught 7 students and boarded with the family of her 8th grade female student, also sharing her student’s bed. (Her favorite comment was that if that were to happen today, she would probably be in jail). After 20 years of teaching, she graduated from Chadron State College with a Bachelor of Science in Education.

Our mother married the love of her life, Lloyd Engleman, on January 22, 1956. At the wedding, one of her Grandmother Lutz’s friends told her, “May all your troubles be little ones”, and so she named them Jody Lee, Jill Lin, Jeri Lou, and Lloyd Jon. They were married for 45 years until Dad’s passing in 2001.

Our mother taught school for another 34 years in various schools in Banner, Sioux, and Scotts Bluff counties and raised her family, always striving to make us successful. She spent her lifetime working with kids and did everything possible to create success in everything she undertook. She was a co-founder of the Gering Girls’ Softball organization, which started out with one team. For 7 years she coached junior bowling, and she also coached one year with Fred Lockwood in Gering Organized Baseball. Quite an accomplishment for a woman in those days.

Mom ended her teaching career at Bluffs Middle School after a total of 35 years in the classroom. She didn’t really quit at that time, since she continued to be a substitute teacher for another 20 years, finally putting away her chalk and chalkboard at the age of 80 after 55 years in education. We know she felt a special joy in teaching hundreds of students.

Mom was also on the Gering Keno Committee from 1995 until 2025, always voting for anything that would help the youngsters in the Valley. As the years passed, her interests varied. She was a bowler (attending 52 state tournaments during her bowling career), played bingo, golfed, fished, raised a garden (sharing her produce with others), and tried to read a book every day until her eyesight failed due to Macular Degeneration.

Mom is survived by her children, Jody Lee (Danny) Gilbert of Scottsbluff, Jill Lin Starke of Gering, Jeri Lou (Marty) Sanderson of Minatare, and Lloyd Jon (Elizabeth) Engleman of Riverside, CA. She is also survived by her grandchildren: April (Jim) Keller, Michael Robinson, Teri Jo (Justin) Leise, Krystine (Jeff) Starke, Jenny (John) Hanley, Kody Starke, Bryant (Kira) Gilbert, and Jordan Engleman. Her surviving great-grandchildren are Lillian, Devlin, Giorgianna, Hunter, Bentley, Bobby, Hudson, Norah, Addison, Austin, Cooper, Riggen, Jensen, Ripp, Jaxon, Lainey, and Coy. She is also survived by her brothers Gerald and Dennis Gross and godchildren Lori Martischewsky and Marcia Westerbuhr.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Lloyd, son-in-law Scott Starke, great-grandchild Hannah Grace, and sisters-in-law Norma and Theresa Gross.

Thanks to special friends Vickie, Joyce, Sandy, Candy, Sharon, and Janey for all the fun weekly lunches over the last several years. A deep debt of gratitude to Ramona Giles for her friendship and help in making her life easier and more comfortable. True friendship is invaluable to us all and Mom was so grateful to have true friends in her life.

Memorials may be made to Gering Girls’ Softball and Gering Zion Church. Fond memories and condolences may be left at www.geringchapel.com for the Engleman family.