Donna Lee Andersen's Obituary
Donna Lee Andersen died peacefully on February 27, 2023, six weeks short of her 91 st birthday.
Donna was born in Lansing, Michigan on April 15, 1932, the third child of Joseph and Etta West. She
attended Eastern High School until her junior year, then the family moved to McBride and she graduated
from Edmore High School. She sewed parachutes in the post war years after high school, then became a
typist and secretary. She met and married Wally Schmidt in 1951 and they had two children (Liane and
Tom) before their divorce. She married Bruce Andersen in 1960 and they moved to Phoenix, where their
daughter Laurie was born. They moved back to the Ann Arbor area, then California, and finally Sebring,
Florida. Bruce preceded her in death in 1993 and she continued living in Sebring until 2020.
Donna worked as a medical secretary for many years, but the great joy of her life was her antique
business. She specialized in Depression Era Glass and Pottery and managed an antique mall in Ann
Arbor. She did glass shows and flea markets and had an amazing knowledge of all the patterns and
values of her glass. She continued to enjoy selling glass into her 80’s.
She also faithfully cared for her neighbor and friend Jim LeVangie until his death in 2019.
She is survived by her daughter Liane Laurion (Bloomington, MN), son Tom Schmidt (Montpellier, VT),
daughter Laurie Holloway (Saline, MI), 7 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, sister Patricia and brother Keith, husband Bruce,
granddaughter Susanna, and nephew Bruce Peasley.
A graveside service is being tentatively planned for May 5th at Hinton Township Cemetery in Lakeview, Michigan.
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