Mara Donelan

Mara Dee "Pat" Turner Donelan died Thursday morning, February 11, 2016 quietly at home in Denver, Colorado. She was cremated and in May will be buried in Beulah Cemetery, Colby, Kansas. She was born to Bazzil A. and Alma H. (Goetsch) Turner in Colby, Kansas on May 9, 1924. She married William A. Donelan, Jr. April 8, 1951 and they had three children: William Robert "Bob", Thomas L. and Julie Ann.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; the following siblings & their spouses: Rosa Lee & Clark Vaughn, Terrence & Nancy (King), Terrell, Hulan & Ernestine (Golden), and Gracia Glee "GG" Gottschalk Long; and 3 nephews.

In addition to her children she is survived by Bob's wife Yinghui Tong, Armando L. Smith (whom she called her 3rd son), sisters-in-laws: Lee (Terrell) Turner, Joan (John) Dark, and Marilyn (Jay) Donelan; brother-in-law: Michael Gottschalk; Vicky Ballard, the mother of Pat's four grandchildren: Melanie (Scott) Patkus, Jacob Scott, Molly Donelan, and Lucas Donelan; great grandchildren: Star Patkus, Aziah Hawkins, Jade Patkus, and Emmie Patkus; and 27 nieces and nephews.

Pat grew up in Colby, graduated from Colby High School and attended the University of Colorado, studying pharmacology. In addition to being a homemaker, she enjoyed new experiences, such as dining in an interesting restaurant, visiting a foreign county or discovering a scenic location. She relished meeting new people and learning about their cultures. One summer, she and Bill attended a solar building school in Maine. They returned to Colby and built a solar home. She enjoyed spending many summers in Maine with Bill managing seasonal lodging establishments. To her friends and family, she was a fountain of encouragement to follow their dreams and stretch for bolder accomplishments; she often broadened their perspectives to see more possibilities. After Bill's death, she moved to Denver where she resided for over 20 years.

Her children invite family and friends to celebrations of her life to be held in the Denver area on Friday, May 6th from 5 to 7 pm at Fresh Fish Company in SE Denver and in Colby, KS on Saturday, May 7th from 5 to 7 pm at City Limits at the Comfort Inn.

In lieu of flowers donations are suggested to the Colby Community College Endowment Foundation, 1255 S Range Ave, Colby, KS 67701 or Thomas County Historical Society, 1905 S Franklin Ave, Colby, KS 67701.