Donna Mae Urbanski

Donna Urbanski, 89, died on Monday, January 6 with her loving family by her side. She was born in Stewartville, Minnesota on April 17, 1935 to Clarence and Mary Benjamin. Donna and her husband, Roger, met in high school while working at the River Room restaurant in Schuneman’s department store in Saint Paul, Minnesota. They immediately established a connection and nurtured a deep and abiding love for each other that lasted over 70 years of marriage until Roger’s death on July 12, 2024.

A Celebration of Life in honor of Donna and her late husband, Roger will be held at 11 AM on Monday, February 3, 2025 at Kok Funeral Home, 7676 80th Street S.; Cottage Grove, MN with an hour visitation from 10-11 AM prior to service. All invited to a luncheon following the service.

Donna was kind, easygoing, innovative, and fun, and she loved to laugh. She always had a side project going, ranging from sewing clothes for her kids, to crocheting vests and throws, to making beer can hats. Donna loved her family and was devoted to them. She was principled and raised her kids with love and humor, teaching them kindness, honesty, and an ethic of responsibility and commitment to family and community. Always creative with an eye on the budget, she did the things that many mothers do, including being a great cook and even better baker. She was Mom to many, offering comfort; a welcoming place to go for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Sunday dinner; a hug; or an ear. Donna was an entrepreneur and had her own business selling Tupperware in the 1960s. She later worked for Van Arsdell’s, Yankee, Red Owl, Target and, until she retired, for Wells Fargo. She especially loved making birthdays and holidays fun and special. She enjoyed dressing up for Halloween, hanging out with family and friends, and serving as an election judge. Donna loved having a myriad of Urbanski pets, including dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, fish, and reptiles. She led the Newport Girl Scout troop and opened her home to welcome four foreign exchange students (Jorge, Chepe, Patty, and Adelita) as family.

When Roger was ordained a deacon in the Catholic Church in 1982, he and Donna chose outreach to families and friends of the LGBTQI+ community as their ministry. While Donna preferred to stay behind the scenes, she understood that there were times when you needed to be out there making your voice heard. Through the 1980s, 1990s, and into the 2000s, Donna and Roger advocated relentlessly for acceptance and equality for the LGBTQI+ community and helped establish PFLAG in Minnesota. Through their work with the church and PFLAG, they shared their journey at nearly 300 events, supported individual families, and for a decade fielded hundreds of calls for assistance from others. Recognition for Donna and Roger’s work included the McKnight Award, which honors individuals who have had a significant impact on the state of Minnesota and its communities. Donna and Roger’s efforts ultimately helped to bring acceptance and marriage equality to Minnesota and beyond.

The Urbanski family thanks the Heritage of Edina Tiffany nurses, aides, food workers, maintenance staff, and administrators who cared for, supported, and loved Donna for nearly seven years. We are also grateful for the care and support given by the Bluestone Physician Services team and the Allina Hospice team as they guided our family through our mom’s final years. All of these dedicated professionals improved the quality of her life.

Donna is survived by children, Ron, Doug (Holly), LaRee, Lynette (Scott) Hanson, Gary (Angela Booher), and Geralyn; grandchildren, Brian (Gerald), Neil (Mulki), Amy, Michael, William (Candra), Carolyn, Cole, Ben, and Mollie; great grandchildren, Oliver and Lily; and brothers, Robert and Dennis Benjamin. She was preceded in death by her parents, and by her brother, Dale Benjamin.

Memorials are preferred to PFLAG National