Donna Lynn Killelea

Donna was born on August 4, 1944 at Walther Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. In 1962, she graduated from Oak Lawn Community High School, after which she became an employee at Argonne National Laboratory. There, she met James (Jim) Killelea, a lab technician and a Arthur Murray dance instructor for the Argonne Ballroom Dancing Club. She and Jim became engaged on Christmas Eve, 1963, and they were married on September 26, 1964 at St. Gerald Catholic Church in Oak Lawn. Jim and Donna honeymooned in Fish Creek, Door County, Wisconsin—the beginning of a years-long vacation tradition they would go on to share with their children.

Donna worked for many years at Christ Hospital as an EKG technician and as a billing specialist for Southwest Cardiology. She pursued higher education at Moraine Valley Community College, and as part of a navigation club led by MVCC professor Fen Taylor, Donna joined a sailing excursion through the Keys, a memory she cherished for years. She was a lifelong lover of nature, the outdoors and travel, a passion she continued to embrace after she and Jim relocated to Olympia, Washington in 1996. As a member of the local Mountaineers, Donna gained a close group of friends, with whom she hiked and explored the Pacific Northwest’s mountain trails and coastlines. She worked for years at Tumwater School District in the attendance office and as an education assistant.

After her retirement, Donna enjoyed tending to her beautiful backyard garden, traveling the world with friends and with the Sierra Club, serving as a cherished member of the Olympia Unitarian Universalist Church, exploring the woods with her dogs Rusty, Molly and Suzie, advocating for the environment, social justice, public education and the arts, and—her greatest joy—spending precious time with her loved ones during holidays, outings, vacations and visits at her home.

Donna is mourned by her children, Rich Killelea, Jeff Killelea and Mary Ann Killelea, Chrissy (Killelea) Rojas and Juan Rojas, Lynette (Killelea) DeVries and Derek DeVries; her beloved grandchildren, Michael and Ian Killelea, Hannah and Ava DeVries, Ryan and Logan Killelea and Aiden Rojas; her beloved nieces and nephews, Jennifer Killelea, Renee Killelea, Denise (Killelea) Miller, Karen (Killelea) O’Dea and John Killelea and their spouses and children.

She is preceded in death by her husband, James V. Killelea; her sister, Bonnie (Daniels) Killelea; her mother, Lillian (Bachan) Daniels; her father, Clay Daniels; her aunt, Mary Bachan and uncle Henry April; her aunt, Rosie and uncle Henry Langdon; her sister-in-law, Connie Killeleaas well as many loving extended family members.

An Open House Celebration of Donna’s Life will be held at Lake Katherine E. G. Simpson Clubhouse, 7402 West Lake Katherine Drive, Palos Heights, IL 60463 on Friday, November 13, 2026 from 3:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

A West Coast Celebration of Donna’s Life will be held in Olympia, Washington in June 2027 (exact location, date and time TBD).

In lieu of flowers, please consider honoring Donna with a donation to alz.org (note “in honor of Donna Killelea”) or The Nature Conservancy: nature.org.