Donna Wahlberg

Donna Joan Wahlberg, 93, of Great Falls passed away very peacefully on September 12, 2021 at Beehive Homes of Columbia Falls. 

A private family service will be held in Great Falls in the coming months.  Cremation has taken place. 

Donna was born in Great Falls on August 11, 1928 to Pearl and William Thorson.  She spent her early years in Atlanta, Idaho and Hughesville, Montana growing up in a mining camp environment.  Donna later moved to Great Falls where she spent most of her life and graduated from Great Falls High School.  She went on to marry her late husband Neil Wahlberg on June 11, 1949.  Together, they raised four children (Barbara, Darcy, William, and Stephen).  She also had nine grandchildren and five great grandchildren.  Donna’s siblings and parents preceded her in death. 

Besides working at various local offices and schools, Donna was an avid genealogist and history buff.  She understood the importance of documenting things of historical significance. She wrote two books: “So Be It”, about the Hughesville/Barker mining area and “Gone but Not Forgotten”, cemetery listings for Monarch, Neihart, Hughesville, Kibby, Geer, and Goodman.  She also donated a great amount of her time and research to local historical organizations and received various recognition awards for her work including The History Museum Legacy Award in 2010. 

Donna loved the outdoors and especially the mountains.  She really enjoyed spending time in the mountainous Hughesville area where she grew up.  She was also well known to the neighborhood where she lived in Great Falls and to the people passing by for her beautiful flower gardens.  The floral work in her yard was very important to her and she took great pride in it.  It was not uncommon for people to stop and talk to her often about her flowers as she worked in her yard.  Donna lived on her own and gardened until age 90. 

Memorials are suggested to The History Museum in Great Falls.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Donna Wahlberg, please visit our floral store.