Donna Gayle Pratt

Donna was born December 31, 1945 to E. Gayle and Lyle Blieu in Davenport, IA, the first of six children for the couple. She graduated from Davenport Central High and attended University of Northern Iowa, where she met her husband, Larry Pratt. They married in 1968, had 2 children, Laura and Andrew, and finally settled in the Des Moines, IA area.

Donna and Larry treasured the time spent and memories made during summers at the Pratt family cabin in Clear Lake. Activities included boating, skiing, fishing, swimming, playing Tripoly, relaxing in the sun and a host of other shenanigans. They especially loved sharing this time with family and friends on holidays: dock installation on Memorial Day weekend, fireworks on the 4th of July, and dock removal on Labor Day Weekend.

Donna and Larry were welcomed to the congregation of West Des Moines United Methodist Church in 1974, and over the years became very involved in the church missions. Donna was active in the vocal choir, adult and youth bell choirs, women’s circle, Stephen Ministry, Prayer Team, covenant group, Sunday School and countless Bible studies. She was employed by the church for 23 years, working as Administrative Coordinator until her retirement in 2011.

Family was so important to Donna. Being widowed in 1986, she became committed to ensuring her children grew into faithful and responsible adults. After her children married and gave her grandchildren, Sunday dinners at Nana’s became a regular occurrence. She was present at many of the grand’s activities and invited them to her house for ‘Nana Camp’ in the summer.

Donna had many sisters of the heart from the groups she was involved in: Beta Sigma Phi, P.E.O., bridge clubs, book clubs, and Mahjong. She was an accomplished seamstress, and never met a sewing project she couldn’t tackle. She enjoyed traveling, scrapbooking and all kinds of crafting, as well as reading books and working puzzles to keep her mind active and participating in water exercise to keep her body active. Christmas was her favorite season, and the way she decorated her house reflected that love. She loved to bake a wide variety of Christmas goodies to share with family and friends and served an elegant Christmas Eve dinner with her family’s traditional oyster stew.

Family she left behind include daughter Laura & Robert Bayse, son Andrew & Sarah Pratt, grandchildren Hannah Pratt, Grace Pratt, Abigayle Bayse & Dean Pratt. Also surviving her are four siblings and multiple nieces and nephews. Donna is loved by many and her absence will leave holes in countless hearts.

Celebration of life service will be held at West Des Moines United Methodist Church at 11:00am on Saturday, October 2, 2021. Family will be available to greet guests beginning at 10:00. After the service, a luncheon will be served. In Donna's memory, memorial donations may be made to West Des Moines United Methodist Church.