Eulogy for Donna J.

Claus
February 16, 2015
by Rev. John Partridge
Donna J. Claus was born May 25, 1931 in Canton, OH to her parents, Andrew and Anna Hegal.
She grew up in Canton and graduated in 1950 from Canton Lincoln High School. She met Keith
Claus, fell in love and they were married in 1953. By 1955, David had arrived on the scene and life
was busy but things slowed down a little when David went to school, so by the time he started third
grade, Donna started working as a lunchroom monitor at the Genoa Grade School. David thought
that was pretty nice because he got to see his Mom at lunch every day.
In fact, David discovered that his relationship with his Mom was a little different than a lot of the
other kids. Although Donna was his Mom, she was also more like his best friend. With no brothers
of sisters, when the weather got too cold to play outside (like today) Donna found things for them to
do together at home. They played cards and board games and other things. In fact, even when the
weather was good they played together. Donna and Keith and David often played wiffle ball in the
back yard, and of course there was one memorable incident when Donna wanted to try her hand at
kicking a football and managed to kick it right through the neighbors window. Keiths only reaction
was to say, Well, I guess Im going to have to fix that. Later, Davids friends would often come to
play at the Claus house because they all said that his parents were more fun than normal parents.
Maybe it was from all the backyard wiffle ball games, but David grew to become a pretty good
baseball player. And every year, David would play little league baseball and his Dad would coach.
Somewhere along the way, Keith figured out that maybe it was best if he didnt coach his own sons
team because dads are always harder on their own kid. So every summer Keith would coach, for
another team, David would play, and Donna would be there to watch. Over the years Donna
watched so many baseball games that she often said that she had permanent marks on her behind
from all the hours that she sat in that lawn chair.
In the evenings Donna would play cards with the neighbors and with friends or cook out in the back
yard. David fondly remembers all of the steaks and potatoes that were cooked on the grill. And if
they didnt cook out in the back yard, there seemed to always be a cast iron skillet full of something
delicious on the stove. And afterward, there were usually some of Donnas world famous cookies.
People talked about her cutout cookies, her iced cookies, and of course, Davids favorite, Pumpkin
Chocolate Chip.
During the summer when the family wasnt in the back yard or playing baseball, they loved to travel
as a family. They made car trips to Yellowstone National Park, Canada, Niagara Falls, Arkansas,
Branson, Missouri and to places that cars couldnt go, like Hawaii and to a cruise in the Caribbean.
There were also a few trips that Donna and David took without Dad. For some reason Keith just was
not much into beach vacations, and so Donna and David would occasionally travel with an uncle to
Florida while Keith stayed home.
In 2008, Donna lost Keith on the day of their wedding anniversary after 55 years of marriage. And
somewhere along the line she also lost her sister Betty, the next to the oldest, which left her as the

last of her generation. But Donna just kept on doing all the things that made her special. She kept
on baking cookies, and helping out wherever she was needed. She was a feisty grandma who spent
lots of time with David and Dena, and her granddaughters. She was known for being something of a
consumer advocate because she wrote letters to every company that disappointed her. She seemed to
be always writing to someone and for years stubbornly persisted in using her old manual typewriter
until David bought her a new electric one. She wasnt too sure about that new technology at first,
but after a while she had that thing humming right along. After that, all those letters were done on
the electric typewriter, and so was everything else. Everyone in the family smiled whenever they got
birthday cards because as soon as you opened the envelope you could see that the cards had a bit of a
curve to them from being run through the typewriter. David and his family tried more than once to
convince Donna to upgrade to a computer, but she was happy with her typewriter and didnt really
want to learn how to use a computer.
And there were other things that Donna was known for. Donna was a patriot. Maybe it started when
she lost her big brother Edward in WWII, but you never saw anywhere without a flag pin, or flag
earrings, or a flag scarf or something red, white and blue and there was almost always a flag or two
in the yard. And besides flags, she loved cardinals, and butterflies and you often saw those on her
coat as well.
In the end David wanted to make sure that everyone knew what a good job that Donna did raising
him and if youve met him, I think that the results are pretty obvious. In their family, Donna was
instrumental in building a good life together.
Donna Claus was one of those people who almost always had a smile for you. Even when I sat
beside her bed last week, she could hardly speak, and I can hardly hear, but she knew who I was.
And even though all of the muscles in her face would not cooperate, she still tried her best to give
me a smile, and she was still interested in hearing all the things that were going on at Trinity Church.
Donna was one of those people in our lives who took time for us. She stepped up to lend a helping
hand wherever it was needed. She was one of those people who was not afraid to speak their mind
when they thought something was wrong. She wrote letter to big corporations, not so she could win
anything, but so that other people might not get misled or cheated. Donna understood that life is
serious business, but among the seriousness, there is still plenty of time to smile, to share with a
friend, to lend a helping hand, and take the time, even make the time, to make memories and have
fun with the people you love.
That is a lesson that all of us could stand to remember, and one that Donna Claus did her best to
teach us. I think if we want to remember her, the best thing that we could do, would be to write a
card (with or without a typewriter) to a friend and remind them that you love them. Wear a flag. Or
better still, invite your family, friends or neighbors over for a board game or play some cards, or,
when the weather gets better, for a ball game in your back yard. Tell your friends and family that
you love them, smile, and make sure that you take the time to have fun together.

Donna J. Claus
2

May 25, 1931 - February 12, 2015

Resided in Canton, OH
Donna J. Claus age 83, passed away Thursday ,
February, 12, 2015 at the Laurels of Massillon. She
was born May 25, 1931 in Canton, OH to her parents,
the late Andrew Hegal and Anna (Hein) Hegal.
She graduated in 1950 from Canton Lincoln High
School.
Donna retired in 1984 after 20 years of service to
Perry Local Schools as a lunchroom monitor at Genoa
Grade School. She also attended Trinity United
Methodist Church in Perry Heights.
Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Keith S. Claus in 2008
after 55 years of marriage; daughter in law , Dena Joy Claus in 2011; four brothers,
Andrew Hegal II , wife Eloise, Donald Hegal, wife Ethel, Edward Hegal, killed in WW II,
and Tom Hegal, wife Geraldine; two sisters, Esther Keith, husband Walter and Betty
Secrest, husband Richard; and two nephews, Andrew Hegal III and Gary Hegal.
Survivors include her son, David Keith Claus; twin granddaughters, Holly Claus and
Heather Claus with her fianc Vincent Hunter; and a great grandson, Vincent Hunter II;
one niece, Rebecca (Cary) Nichols; and two nephews, Richard and Matthew Secrest.
She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, friend, neighbor,
American patriot, baker of cookies, and queen of the cast iron skillet.
Funeral services will be Monday, February 16, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. at the Reed Funeral
Home - Canton Chapel. Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. prior to the
services. Officiating the services will be Rev. John Partridge. Burial will follow at the
Calvary Cemetery in Massillon