Obituary of Donna Mae Roebuck

It is with great sadness that the family of Donna Mae Roebuck of Yorkton, SK announce her passing on March 27, 2024.  She was 74 years of age.

The third child of Amos and Agnes (Aggie) Griffith of Bangor, SK, Donna was born in Yorkton on March 4, 1950. She attended school in Bangor until Grade 8 and completed her high school years in Esterhazy, SK.  In 1968, Donna moved to Saskatoon, SK to study nursing at the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Arts and Science, and after graduating in 1970, she worked as a Registered Nurse in Moose Jaw, Saskatoon, Regina and Yorkton, SK.

Donna married Brian Roebuck on October 19, 1974 at Saint Andrews United Church in Yorkton, and they established a home and farm one mile west of the Hilltop Curling Rink (15 miles South of Yorkton) on NE 15-23-4 W2. Brian and Donna were blessed with two daughters; Allison Dawn (1977) and Joran Margaret (1980).  Donna retired from nursing in 1976 to stay home and raise the girls, and worked side by side with Brian on the farm for almost forty years until they moved to Yorkton in the fall of 2013.

Donna loved the farm and the peace and quiet of rural life.  She enjoyed being outside and always had large, bountiful and well-maintained gardens and was an expert preserver – pickling, canning and freezing produce all summer long. She took much pride in her beautiful yard which she worked very diligently to keep expertly mowed, and dandelion-free.  Donna loved nature and enjoyed watching the antics of the local birds, deer, chipmunks and squirrels.  Even after moving to town, Donna kept a beautiful yard with flowers and a small garden, and still maintained a large garden at the farm.  She delighted in her new “urban” visitors who took up residence in their yard in Yorkton, particularly “Ralph the Rabbit” who has been a constant presence for the past several years.

To say she loved her family would be an understatement.  Her family was her world and her reason for being; and she was especially proud of her five grandsons.  She would light up when around them or even when just talking about them, which she did often.  It is hard to find a picture of Donna from the past 22 years where she is not holding a baby or cozied up to one of her grandkids.  Her absence will be profoundly felt.

Donna was predeceased by her parents, Aggie and Amos Griffith, her brothers Morgan and Lloyd Griffith, in-laws Fred and Margaret Roebuck, brother-in-law Harold Madsen and many beloved aunts, uncles and cousins. 

She leaves to cherish her memory her husband Brian of nearly 50 years, her daughter Allison (Joel) Buchberger and grandsons Cody, Kyler and Liam, daughter Joran (Neil) Weber and grandsons Morgan and Evan, sister Gloria (Kal) Rathgeber, sister-in-law Susan Griffith, sister-in-law Pam Griffith, sister-in-law Ferne (Wayne) Madsen, Aunt Marion Dunn and many cousins, nieces, nephews and good friends.

The Funeral Service was held on Friday, April 12, 2024 from the Yorkton Memorial Gardens Family Centre with Shelly Morris officiating. Kyler Buchberger served as urn bearer. A family interment will take place at a later date in the Llewlyn Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to Llewlyn Cemetery, c/o the RM of Saltcoats, Box 150, Saltcoats, SK, S0A 3R0 or to the Morris Lodge - Bangor, Box 54, Bangor, SK, S0A 0E0 as gifts of remembrance.