Donna Lou Kilker Stalcup, 86, of Blacksburg, VA, a wonderful wife, mother and grandmother, passed away on Nov. 26, 2017.
Donna is survived by her husband, Robert, a daughter Sharon, and her husband David Irvin, of Lincoln, NE; a son Scott, and his wife Nancy, of Lynchburg, VA; grandchildren, Lowell and Larissa Irvin of Lincoln, NE; a sister, Jean Kennerly, and her husband Fred of Rockford, Illinois and many cousins, nieces and nephews in North and South Dakota and Illinois. Donna was predeceased by her parents, a brother, Archie, and an infant sister, Lois.
Donna was active in PEO for several decades, was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church in four different cities and was a member of the VTFWC. She also served on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra.
Donna was born in Britton, SD to Arthur and Dena Kilker. She grew up on a farm and worked hard driving John Deere tractors and, during harvest season, driving grain trucks to the Britton elevators. She attended a one-room rural school for eight years and graduated with honors from Britton High School.
She received a BA degree in music and English, with honors, in three years, from Huron College, Huron, SD. While a student at Huron, Donna helped finance her education by playing the organ at the Presbyterian Church. She was elected president of the student body, the first woman to do so. Her master’s degree, in school administration, was earned at the University of Nebraska and her doctoral degree in student personnel services in higher education was awarded by Auburn University. While at Auburn, Donna was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and served on its advisory board for several years.
Donna taught English and music in grades seven through twelve and English and Drama at the college level, where she directed plays and sponsored the Drama Club. The first and only year she coached the high school debates, her team won the Nebraska state championship in their competition class. She loved music and gave piano lessons for several years and directed bell choirs in several churches.
A memorial service will be held at 3:00 pm on Saturday, December 30, 2017, at Blacksburg Presbyterian Church, Blacksburg, VA.
Memorial checks may be made out to PEO Sisterhood, Chapter BP Scholarship, write Donna Stalcup Memorial on the memo line and mail to Beverly Shull, 6685 Bradley Road, Radford, VA 24141, or give to a charity of your choice.