Donna was born in Chicago, Illinois on December 22, 1941, to Helge “Billy” Kleist and Virginia Boucher Kleist and was raised in Fox Lake, Illinois. She graduated from Grant High School and married the love of her life and husband of 60 years, Charles Joseph Mares, on November 5, 1960.
From an early age, Donna embraced being a caretaker and would always place others ahead of her own needs. As a child and teenager, she took care for her mother, who suffered from Multiple Sclerosis and later, her father, who was stricken with Leukemia.
Her devotion to family continued when Donna became a stay-at-home mom to 3 sons and 2 daughters. She continued in this nurturing role until her youngest child was in middle school. It was at this time she entered a new phase in her life by starting a career in retail. She initially began working at Pfaltzgrapff and her passion for work was recognized, and she quickly advanced to a management position. After a few years, she accepted the Store Manager position at Royal Doulton. After dedicating 18 years to her retail career, Donna retired at age 70 to spend more time with her family and especially her 12 grandchildren, whom she doted upon and bragged about quite often.
Along the way, Donna was Brownie Leader, Girl Scout Leader, Den Mother, Room Mom, a member of the Homemaker’s Club, a member of the Garden Club, a member of the Art League, and a member of the Eagle’s Auxiliary. She was also a huge dog lover for most of her adult life starting with her beloved childhood pet, a cocker spaniel named Patsy and too many dogs along the years to mention. In her latest years she adored her cat, Molly.
Donna is survived by her husband, Charles “Bud” Mares of New Braunfels, grown children: daughter Laurie; son Scott (wife Dianna), daughter Lynnan (husband Randy), son David (wife Amy), son Steven (wife Michelle), grandchildren Tamra (husband Noah), Kelly, Taylor, Kathryne, Zachary (wife Lexi), Nicholas, Matthew, Zane, Sage, Caleb, Elijah, and Jonah.
She was preceded in death by her mother, Virginia Boucher Kleist and father, Helge “Billy” Kleist.
Visit Comal Flower Shop on the Plaza to order flowers or visit their website at https://comalflowershop.com/?SID=a85bfbf27357ed97b2b4ad3c1173478a
