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Donna Rae Marie (Jensen) Vander Poel, 86, passed away peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, on May 24, 2025.
Visitation will be held Wednesday, June 4, from 2-6 p.m. at Boice Funeral Home in Clovis, Calif.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, June 5 at 10 a.m. at St. Peter Lutheran Church, Clovis.
Interment will be at Fresno Memorial Gardens immediately after the funeral with a luncheon to follow at St. Peter Lutheran Church.
“Donna” was born on Mother’s Day, May 14, 1939, in Lincoln County, Minn. to Chris Peter Jensen and Elsie Bertha (Sommerlade) Jensen. She was the sixth of eight daughters. After graduating Pipestone High School in 1957, she married Norman Vander Poel on June 16, 1957, at The Little Brown Church in the Vale in Nashua, Iowa. Together they owned and operated “The Lunch Bowl” on Main Street in Pipestone, until 1960.
Three sons were born to them – Leland, Todd and Jay, before pulling up stakes and moving to California in 1964. Eventually they settled in Fresno, Calif., in late 1965.
Donna carved out her career path first as an Avon District Manager in the mid 70’s, and then on to be the owner/operator of Fair Lady Dress Shop in Fresno until 1995. She subsequently worked as a Cafeteria Manager in Fresno Unified School District until she retired in 2011.
She is survived by her children, Leland Vander Poel (Marcia), Fresno, Todd Vander Poel (Pamela), Clovis, and Jay Vander Poel, Riverdale, Calif., 10 grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.
Donna was preceded in death by her husband Norman in 2019.
(Boice Funeral Home)