Wayne Paul Donnelly

Wayne Paul Donnelly, 77, passed away on April 26, 2025, at Mahaska Hospital in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He was born on May 24, 1947, to Clifford and Mary Ward Donnelly in Ottumwa, and grew up in Ottumwa. He graduated from Ottumwa High School in 1965, and from Northeast Missouri State College in Kirksville, Missouri, with a Bachelor of Science of Education. He married Anne Yenger on June 28, 1969, and in August, the couple began their lives and teaching careers in Somers, Iowa. On September 5, 1971, they welcomed a daughter, Eva, while Wayne was attending graduate school in Kirksville. Wayne graduated with his MA degree from Northeast Missouri State College in 1972. The couple then moved to Oskaloosa that following year and Wayne worked as a carpenter in Pella for a year. Wayne was then hired to teach English at Moravia High School where he was also the speech coach, ran the lights for the drama department for the plays and worked at the football games until retiring after 19 years. Wayne worked at the True Value Hardware store in Albia for 10 years and then at Henderson John Deere Implement for one year before accepting the job as a teacher for the SOS, School of Success, the alternative school, at the Albia High School before retiring permanently. He graduated 35 students in 5 years. Wayne liked to fish, work on black powder rifles and shoot them, go hunting with his friends, and sometimes just sit back and enjoy a cold beer with his friends. He also was a voracious reader, reading about World War II and the Civil War. He also liked to go camping, taking many trips with Anne and Eva every summer, in particular to Civil War battlefields, the Great Smoky Mountains, the Black Hills and the Grand Canyon, to name a few. Wayne and Anne then visited the Outer Banks, Mackinac Island, and the Great Smoky Mountains, just to name some of the places they have been and continued that tradition until 2024. Wayne also enjoyed being “Papa” to his 3 grandchildren and loved to spend time with them and watch them grow up. He once mentioned to Anne “this grandpa business sure is fun!”. Surviving are his wife of 56 years, a daughter, Eva (Tory) Spiess of Ames, 3 grandchildren, Audrey, Katie and Wyatt Spiess of Ames and a sister, Linda, of Colorado. He was preceded in death by his parents and parents-in-law. Visitation will be held from 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at the Tharp Funeral Home in Albia, with Wayne’s family present to greet family and friends. A memorial service will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 7, 2025, at the Tharp Funeral Home in Albia, with Pastors Rayl Robbins and John Chadwick co-officiating. An open memorial has been established to the family to be determined at a later date.

Wayne Paul Donnelly

May 24, 1947 - April 26, 2025