Obituary of Donna Marie Arnhild Powell

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Donna (Wik) Powell, longtime resident of Duluth, who passed away peacefully Friday October 6, 2023 surrounded by family.

She was born July 17, 1938 in Thief River Falls, MN to Edward and Selma Wik and graduated from Lincoln High School. Donna grew up on a farm with four sisters and one brother. Edward’s brother, Arthur Vik, married Selma’s sister, Alvina. The Wik and Vik families grew up together and have remained close throughout their lives.

Donna married Dan Powell July 5, 1958 and had two daughters, Diana and Deb. Donna was a loving, caring wife, mom, grandma and GG (great-grandma) who was very much loved in return.

Donna was proud of her Nurse’s training at St. Luke’s Hospital and cared for many people throughout her life. She began at First National Bank in Duluth as a bank teller and was promoted to Commercial Loan Officer. She was a confident woman, member of the Duluth Toastmistresses Club, the Duluth Area Chamber of Commerce, and a volunteer at Glensheen Mansion. In retirement, Donna learned upholstery and she and Dan had a business restoring antique furniture. Later in life Donna was one of the owners of “The Lily Ladies” selling perennials and enjoying her own backyard gardens. She and Dan also enjoyed their dogs and cats, gin rummy and doing puzzles. Dan was known to steal a piece of the puzzle to have the satisfaction of being the one to finish it first.

Donna enjoyed daily talks with her daughters, calls with her grandchildren and video calls with her great-granddaughter Olivia. She looked forward to monthly zoom calls with her siblings and cousins. Donna also loved the holiday season and decorating Christmas trees with her family.

This July Donna’s family traveled from across the country to celebrate her 85th birthday. The weekend was filled with reminiscing, laughter and great food.

Donna was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years; parents; sister, Shirley; son-in-law, Jon Steven; and cousin, Jim Vik. She is survived by daughters, Diana Lacy of Las Cruces, NM, and Deb (Ray) Lyytinen of Duluth; grandchildren, Robin (Chad) Lackey of Austin, TX, and Ryan (Laurel) Lyytinen of Madison, WI; great-granddaughter Oliva June Lackey; brother, Bill Wik (Pat) of Hugo, MN; sisters, Kay (Douglass) Steiger of Thief River Falls, MN, Sandy (David) Taves of Fort Myers, FL, and Linda (John) Bradley of Kings Beach, CA. She is also survived by her cousins; Marge (Ben) Bendickson, John Vik, Sherrie Olstad, Tony (Barb) Vik, Gene (Marijo) Vik; and many nieces and nephews.

The family would like to say a special thank you to those who helped Donna stay in her home for many years, and to St. Luke’s Hospital ICU staff who cared for her. Per Donna’s request, no funeral or memorial service will be held. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Animal Allies Humane Society 4006 Airport Road Duluth, MN 55811, an organization Donna and Dan felt strongly about.