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Donna entered her final rest at 83 years old, on April 2, 2022, at Son Heaven assisted living. She had resided there since December 10, 2021. Donna was born to Earl and Telma Skinner in Fullerton, CA. The family traveled and lived in many different places, but Donna had 5th generation roots in Cochise County and ultimately grew up in Tombstone, AZ.
She was preceded in death by her husband Dwaine Lyle Garrick (1996), parents Earl and Telma (Lindley) Skinner, her two brothers Mike Syrovy and Earl Wayne Skinner, sister Telma Kathleen (Skinner) Harris, father and mother in law, Lyle (Shavey) Garrick and Ann (Wunderlick) Garrick, a grandson Michael Christopher Garrick (2015), and 7 brother in laws: Calvin (Glenn), Gordon, Dennis, Ronald (Pete), Owen, Bobby, and Curt (all Garricks).
Donna is survived by her 5 children: Lance (Renee) Garrick, Brent (Terri) Garrick, Lynae (Garrick) Ryckman (Mark), Ryan (Patti) Garrick, Stacy (Garrick) Trepanier (Pierre). She is also survived by 9 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren, her brother Stan Skinner, along with nieces and nephews, sister and brother in laws, and many more extended family.
Donna met her future husband in Tombstone, AZ. Dwaine was stationed at Davis Monthan Air Force base in Tucson at the time. They were married in Benson, AZ on February 20,1955. She was still counting their years of marriage up until her death, which would have been 67 years if he had lived until now. He was 23 and she was 16 when they married. They moved to Outlook, MT, where Dwaine was from, and remained there until he took a job at the smelter in Great Falls (not a lot of work in Outlook,MT) and by then they had 3 children. Dwaine left that job to start with the minuteman installation program as an electronics technician on the Atlas F missiles. The family lived in a 10 foot wide mobile home and over the course of 8 years they moved across the central plains and western states, living in different towns and cities and adding 2 more children to the family.
In 1968, the family of now 7, moved to Hastings, MN as Dwaine landed a non traveling job (well he traveled a lot) and Donna started working at Smead Mfg. Co where she worked for 18 years. They remained in Hastings until all the children were out of high school and on their own. Then they moved to Henderson, NV where Dwaine formed a partnership and started a business, but very early on in this process he became ill and was diagnosed with stage IV prostate cancer.
Dwaine had to dissolve the partnership and retire. They sold the home in Hastings and relocated to Antelope, MT in Dwaine’s late parents home and started snowbirding to Yuma, AZ in the winters and Antelope, MT in the summers until the summer of 1996 when Dwaine’s health prevented any more travel. Donna stayed in the Antelope residence and sold the property in Yuma the next year. She remained there and enjoyed several years with lots of family and friends, especially her good friend/companion, Bud Martin. She ultimately moved back to Minnesota in 2011 when her very good friend, Edie Olstead, was in hospice and dying of cancer. She got to spend time with her in her last days before she passed. She lived in Oakridge Manor senior apartments in Hastings for approximately 8 years where she acquired many dear friends. Her health started declining in 2018 and in the spring of 2019 Donna moved to Helena, MT with her daughter, Lynae, so she could care for her. She stayed there for 3 years and ultimately moved to Son Heaven assisted living in December 2021 where once again she acquired some very dear friends and enjoyed the activities and meals offered there until her passing on April 2, 2022.
Mom always said she had a gypsy spirit because she liked moving around the country as much as she did. They were great adventures to her. She would pack up a 10' wide trailer, 5 kids and off we would go time and time again. She was amazing to us. We would like to thank the Montana Lifespan Respite Program for their help, Donna's niece Gayleen Strachan and good friend Robin Homan for all the loving care and help they provided, as well as the staff at the assisted living facility. And of course Compassus Hospice for the wonderful care they provided as well. We also thank Simple Cremation for the caring services they have provided. Thank you all family, neighbors, and friends, too many to mention here, for your loving care of Donna.
There will be a service in Outlook, MT sometime in August 2022 where she will be put to rest with Dwaine. A service is also being worked out in Hastings, MN around June 17th-18th with a gathering at Scharr’s Bluff on June 18th. There will be another gathering in AZ next winter, to be determined.
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