Donna Joy Liddle, age 78, passed away peacefully in the Palliative Care Unit at University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison, surrounded by her children, on Thursday, July 15, 2010, due to complications from Multiple Sclerosis. Services will be 12pm-noon on Tuesday July 20 at the United Methodist Church in Hazel Green, WI. Friends may call on Monday July 19, from 4-7pm at the Gunderson East Funeral Home in Monona, WI. Friends may also call on Tuesday July 20 from 10am to 12pm-noon at the United Methodist Church in Hazel Green, WI with Pastor Ed Jones officiating. Burial will be in the Hazel Green Cemetery. The Haudenshield Funeral Home & Cremation Services is serving the family.

She was born June 29, 1932, to Aldro and Mildred (Patterson) Pearce in Hazel Green, Wis. Donna married Paul W. Liddle on Dec. 18, 1954, in Hazel Green. They moved to Alamogordo, N.M., where their children Susan, Patricia, and Richard were born. They returned to Wisconsin where Donna worked for the federal government all her professional life, retiring from the Small Business Administration in 1986. She loved spending time with her family, living the last 11 years with her daughter, Susan, and her son, Richard, and his family. She liked to shop for her children and grandchildren. She had a knack for baking and, later in life, enjoyed watching the Food Network. After her retirement, she was especially fond of dining out with family and friends.

Donna is survived by her daughters, Susan Liddle, Monona; Patricia (Phil) Tschudy, Verona; son, Richard (Cheryl) Liddle, Monona; granddaughters, Melissa and Amanda Tschudy, and Leandra Liddle; her twin bother, Douglas (Lois) Pearce, Dubuque, IA., and brother Joe (June ) Teasdale, Fennimore. In addition, she is survived by brother-in-law, Vernon (Mozell) Liddle, Shreveport, LA.; sister-in-law, Leora Liddle, Dubuque; special cousin, Joanne Temperly; many nieces, nephews and cousins; special friends Katie Thomas, Yvonne Vitense, and Jean and Terry Littel, and her special cat, Milo.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 44 years, Paul W. Liddle; her mother, Mildred Teasdale; her father, Aldro Pearce; her step-father, Joe Teasdale, her brothers-in-law, William and Ralph Liddle; and her sister-in-law, Velma Liddle.

The family would like to extend our deepest thanks to Tori Rippl, for the special care she provided Donna for the past nine years. We would also like to thank the following: Community Living Alliance for making it possible for Mom to stay at home with us; Pat and John Evachenko for making sure Mom was able to get her hair done each week; St. Mary's Adult Day Health Center for providing Mom with activity and care outside of her home; the Palliative Care Unit at UW Hospital for her care in her final days; UW Hospital for their tremendous care of Mom during her many visits over the past 20-plus years; and to Group Health Cooperative for all they did for Mom and the care she needed for the many complications of living with Multiple Sclerosis. Special thanks to her daughter-in-law, Cheryl Liddle, for helping to care for Mom, and deepest thanks to daughter Susan, who not only took care of Mom all these years, but who also coordinated and took her to many visits and appointments. Donna was never one to complain about the many complications and difficulties she endured with living with MS. She took everything in stride and always had a great sense of humor. We were indeed fortunate to have her with us for so very long.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family, with proceeds going to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.