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Donna Hellerud

Lead Summary

Donna Jean “Jeannie” Hellerud, 77, Hills, died Wednesday, July 24, 2019, at the Tuff Memorial Home in Hills.
A Mass of Christian burial was Tuesday, July 30, at St. Catherine Catholic Church in Luverne. Burial followed in the Flowerfield Cemetery at Hills.
Donna White was born Feb. 9, 1942, to Lawrence and Lucille (Gregory) White in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She grew up in Sioux Falls. She graduated from Notre Dame High School in Mitchell, South Dakota, and received her LPN degree from Presentation Nursing School in Mitchell. She worked at Avera McKennan in Sioux Falls.
Jeannie married Robert (Popeye) Hellerud on Feb. 1, 1964, at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Sioux Falls. They lived in Hills, where they were blessed with three daughters. Jeannie began her career at the Tuff Memorial Home in Hills in 1971. She always said that caring for geriatric patients was her true calling. She had a love of learning and taught the CNA course at the Tuff Home. She returned to college at the University of South Dakota and earned a Bachelor of Nursing degree at age 62, something she was very proud of.  She worked at the Tuff Memorial Home for 43 years, retiring in 2015 to care for her husband.
     Jeannie and her husband enjoyed bridge club, card parties, progressive dinners, and dressing up on Halloween.  Jeannie loved a good joke and had a dry sense of humor and a sharp wit. She collected antiques, penguins, Hummel figurines and pie birds. She loved teaching her granddaughters to bake, especially her famous pies and desserts.
She and Bob were foster parents through the state of Minnesota and also hosted foreign exchange students over the years. They enjoyed traveling in later years to visit them. Two weeks ago Jeannie moved to the Tuff Memorial Home after a sudden illness and received hospice care.  
     Jeannie is survived by her daughters Kelli Hellerud, Hills, Konni (Greg) Liggons, Sioux Falls, and Amy (Tom) Bosch Sioux Falls; granddaughters Karah (Tyler) Hellerud, Hills, Emma (Tyler) Hughes, Iowa City, Iowa, Isabel Bosch, Sioux Falls, and Karissa Liggons, Sioux Falls; one grandson Noah Hellerud, Hills; three great-grandchildren, Makynzie, Keiton and Emileigh Koller; sisters Patty (Milton) Schmida, Susan Campbell, Mary (Russell) Poppenga, and Kathy (Dave) Assay; brothers Mike (Elaine) White and Tony White; many nieces and nephews; and her best friend, Lou Kellenberger.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Bob; her parents; and two sisters, Connie White and Beth (Martin) Serrioz.  
Arrangements were provided by Jurrens Funeral Home of Hills, jurrensfuneralhome.com.
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