Born October 19, 1934 in Center Grove, Iowa to Walter and Viola Beresford.  Fifth out of nine children.  Was a fun-loving and clever child and she carried those qualities with her when she became a wife and mother.  She loved making puns, which her children would ultimately deem "Donna-isms."  If you were lucky enough to know her, you probably experienced a Donna-ism at least once over the years.  They were such a part of her that she continued to come up with them in her final days, amusing and endearing those that would come in to care for her.  She always saw the good in people and they recognized the love, warmth and goodness in her (more than she did herself).

Services for Donna will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Farley, Iowa with Rev. Steven Garner presiding.  Burial of William and Donna will follow in St. Joseph's Cemetery in Farley, Iowa.

When she originally met Bill Gerken, the man who would become her husband, she thought he was a terrible flirt (she used the term, "wolf") but he quickly won her over and they were married on October 22, 1955, a union that lasted over 70 years.  She was a doting wife and loved being a mother to her five children, as well as to anyone else that would allow her to "mother" them.  When her children were young, she began babysitting to earn extra income.  That was a "job" that suited her perfectly (except that she ultimately had to relinquish the children back to their parents at the end of the day).  A close relative recently wrote this:  We lost our beautiful Donna on Mother's Day. It is appropriate. She is the mother of us all. Always nurturing. Always serving. Always asking, "Can I get you something else?"

Her love language was acts of service and when she was "serving" us, that was her way of saying and showing how much she loved us all.  Her smile would light up the room when her loved ones were near and she could offer her heartfelt love and service in abundance.  She was never happier than when she was surrounded by her family, which included the extended family of friends made over her lifetime.

She re-entered the workforce outside the home when her children were older and she was a meat-wrapper for Stater Brothers Market in Southern California until she retired and moved back to Iowa in late 1994.  Wanting to get to know more people in her new community and never being one to sit still for too long, she worked part-time at the Farley Post Office for a while after she got settled into her new home.  She also joined a group of ladies that played Euchre once a week for a number of years.  She remained an avid and mostly sharp player well into her declining years.

She also loved to garden, as anyone who has ever walked by her house can attest.  Her flower beds and lilac bushes were well tended and cared for but they paled in comparison to her everlasting beauty and grace.  There is so much more to be said about how truly amazing this little woman was but words are not enough to do her justice.

She is survived four children, Catherine (Michael) Joyce of Irvine, CA, Cynthia Salgado of Eugene, OR, Theresa Gerken of Sparks, NV and Gerard Gerken of Golden, CO; 8 grandchildren, Bret Shotwell, Michael Joyce, Matthew (Jamie) Joyce,  Shannon (Jason) Mac Rae  Erik (Nicole) Runfola, Russell (Alizabeth) Awrey, Joshuah Gerken and Danielle (Brandy) Gerken; eleven great grandchildren; one daughter-in-law, Michelle Gerken; one sister, Nelda Kennedy; and two sisters-in-law, Jean (John) Heiberger and Donna Beresford.

She is preceded in death by her parents; one son, William Gerken; one son-in-law, Louis Salgado; three sisters, Melrose (Marvin) Schute, Darlene (Ray) Fries, Nona (Gus) Rossknecht, four brothers, Thomas, William, James and Terrence Beresford, brothers and sisters-in-law, Patrick Kennedy, Donald (Ann) Gerken, Adrian (Joan) Gerken, Daniel (Joyce) Gerken, Loras (Marlene) Gerken, Ewald (Elizabeth) Gerken; Louise (Wilfred) Coakley, Teresa (Donald) McCoy, Joan (Vernon) Larson, Dolores Gerken, and Mary (John) Temple.