Donna A. Alt

WASHINGTON?Donna Ann Alt, 85, of Washington, passed away at 8 a.m., Friday, December 12, 2014 at Washington Christian Village. Donna was born on August 6, 1929 in Bloomington to Bernice Peterson. Carl Goodlick became her step-father when she was 5. Donna married Robert M. Alt, Sr. in Pekin on September 4, 1949. Bob died November 9, 1980 in Peoria. Among those surviving are four daughters, Ruth (the late Larry) Lauterbauch of Peoria, Teresa (Robert) Yazujian and Deborah (Dennis) Schertz, both of Washington and Kathryn (James) Ogborn of Williamsburg, VA, one son, Robert (Tamara) Alt of Washington; three sisters, Mary Alice Kuntz of Mackinaw, Wilma (Ray) Garber of Pekin, and Judy (the late Dale) Kumpf of Hopedale; one brother Richard (Jan) Goodlick and one sister-in-law, Cathy (the late Larry Goodlick)Beers both of Pekin, 16 grandchildren, 26 great grandchildren and 1 great great grandchild. Donna was preceded in death by one brother, Larry Goodlick, and one great granddaughter, Skyla Mahony. Donna was a member of St. Mark?s Lutheran Church in Washington where she was a member of the Morning Star Circle. Donna and her husband, Bob, were leaders in Luther League, the youth program, for many years. She was also on the church council and volunteered as a Sunday school teacher. Donna was an avid bowler for many years at Plaza Lanes. She enjoyed spending time with her bowling league ladies and continued monthly lunches with them long after she had hung up her shoes. Donna first worked in the baking industry when she was in high school. She worked at Larkin?s Bakery in Pekin, Illinois and she developed this love of cake decorating into The Cake Box which Donna owned and operated 34 years in Washington before her retirement. As the owner of the Cake Box, she sponsored a wide variety of youth sporting teams and was repeatedly donating cakes for various Washington Community fund raising events. From 1969 to 1994, Washington Jr High 8th graders enjoyed her beautiful creations at their graduation party. Donating cakes was only one facet of her generosity as she also gave numerous hours of her personal time including nurturing neighborhood children and feeding the homeless. Being recognized as an expert in her field, Donna was an adjunct professor teaching cake decorating at the same college (ICC) where she would later earn her GED. Volunteerism meant a great deal to Donna. Among the various organizations that benefited from her time were the Girl Scouts of America, Boy Scouts of America, the PTA, the Church Mouse, Eureka Middle School, Washington District 52 where she was a room mother and a listening lady. Education was very important to Donna. She chose to end her high school career early to help take care of her siblings. Not obtaining a diploma was always a disappointment to her but it didn?t rank as important as caring for her brothers and sisters. Much later in life, having raised 5 children and operating her own bakery, the desire to have a high school diploma was still heavy on her heart, so she enrolled in ICC?s GED courses. Donna was a model student, working long hours on homework she considered a privilege to do. Her favorite subject was math, particularly algebra. In 2003, at the age of 73, Donna was awarded her High School Equivalency Certificate. Funeral services for Donna will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at St. Mark?s Lutheran Church with Pastor Dick Hanson officiating. Burial will follow in Glendale Cemetery in Washington. Visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Mason-White Funeral Home in Washington on Monday evening and one hour prior to services at the church on Tuesday. Memorials for Donna may be directed to either Larry?s Casting Kids of Pekin, P.O.Box 249 Green Valley, IL 61534 or St. Jude Midwest Affiliate 530 NE Glen Oak Ave, Peoria, IL 61637. Online condolences to the family may be made at masonfuneralhomes.com.