Dona R. Price

If death is like a graduation, Dona Risenmay Price graduated from this life with honors. She returned to her heavenly home while surrounded by family in her residence at Orchard View Assisted Living in Payson, Utah on October 16, 2022, at the age of 83.

Dona was born on September 6, 1939 to George and Jane Risenmay, and grew up working and playing hard with her 8 siblings on the family farm in Woodville, Idaho. She liked to cook and can food with her mom, but enjoyed the work outside with her dad and brothers much more, driving tractor, mowing hay, and cultivating spuds.

She attended schools in Shelley and Idaho Falls, participating in athletics, pep club, choirs, and playing the oboe in the band, of which she was student director and vice president her senior year. She attended USU and Ricks College, then worked at the Bank of Idaho in Idaho Falls until she was called as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to the Great Lakes Mission in 1960.

Upon her return, she married Willard Price in the Idaho Falls Temple in 1962 before moving to Provo to attend BYU. There, Dona began her truest and best work as a mother. They seemed to have another baby every time they moved, so when they bought her parent’s home in Woodville in 1976, they stayed put! She spent countless hours in service to her seven children, friends, neighbors, and everyone she “adopted” as family. She loved hosting events and reunions – family always knew they had a place to stay with Aunt Dona.

When she wasn’t shuttling children to and from their activities and lessons, you could find Dona playing or coaching softball, singing with the Choralaires, working in her gardens, driving spud truck in the harvest, helping as a teacher’s aide in the Shelley schools, or driving a school bus full of kids. Dona loved the Lord and served in many organizations of the church, worked in the Idaho Falls Temple, then served in the Frankfurt Germany Mission in 2006 with Willard. They moved to Oklahoma for a time in 2020 before settling in Payson, Utah in 2021. All who knew her felt her love, warmth, good humor, and acceptance.

Dona was welcomed into heaven by her parents and siblings: Howard, Rena, Eldon, Esther, Jay, and Dee. She is survived by her sister-in-law Velma Risenmany, sister Marian (Bob) Kelley, husband Willard, and all seven children: Boyd (LeAnn) Price, Chris (Dale) Tanner, Brent (Stacey) Price, Cathy (Jason) Hatch, Camille (Russell) Gold, Brian (Kathy) Price, and Cindy (Nate) Peterson, as well as 23 grandchildren, and almost 20 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Saturday, October 29, 2022, at the Woodville First Ward Chapel (1555 North 700 East) Shelley, Idaho. The family will meet with friends Friday October 28, from 6:00 till 7:30 pm at Nalder Funeral Home (110 W. Oak Street) Shelley and Saturday from 9:30 till 10:40 am at the church. The services will be live streamed, www.youtube.com/channel/UCxdeJYiOmVl1nbTpUH7nogg. Burial will be in the Woodville Cemetery.

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