Date : 19 Jan 2019
Location : East Delavan Union Cemetery, Delavan, WI
January 27, 1928 - January 15, 2019
Donna DeEtte Elbert, 90, died peacefully on January 15 at Aurora Lakeland Medical Center after a brief illness.
Donna was born on January 27, 1928 in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, the second of three children born to William Lawrence Elbert and Sue Melicent Hatch. She graduated from Williams Bay High School in 1945 after attending Williams Bay Elementary School. Donna studied at the University of Wisconsin in Madison and Parson’s School of Design in New York City prior to graduating from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Upon graduation she spent time in New York and Milwaukee before accepting a position as a research assistant to Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar at Yerkes Observatory. Her professional partnership with Chandrasekhar would last for many decades at both Yerkes and at the University of Chicago in Hyde Park where her career spanned nearly 40 years. During this time Chandrasekhar earned the Nobel Prize for astrophysics and Donna co-authored several books with him and her calculations were cited in many scientific journals.
Donna spent her entire life with close ties to the Williams Bay area. Her father owned the local barber shop from 1929 until 1970. Donna was a part time resident of the Bay during her career and returned full time upon her retirement in 1990. She loved her home and felt immense satisfaction that it had been in her family since 1932.
Donna had many interests throughout her life including art, playing piano, knitting, sewing, reading, loving her cats and spending decades studying her ancestry, the latter of which led to her proudly becoming a member of the Mayflower Society and Daughters of the American Revolution. She also took immense pride in her work at Yerkes Observatory and the University of Chicago and her 15 years as Treasurer of the Walworth County Historical Society.
Donna was extremely close to her family. Her nieces and nephews and their children were among the proudest parts of her life and they cherished her in return. She will be deeply missed and remembered dearly by her family and close friends. She was predeceased by her parents and a brother, William J. (Louise) Elbert, and is survived by one brother, Phillip O.(Tedy) Elbert of Scottsdale, AZ; three nieces: Susan Elbert Steele of State College, PA and Williams Bay, WI, M. Joanne Elbert Kantner of DeKalb, IL, and Gayle (William) Elbert Durkin of Allen, TX; two nephews: Phillip (Kristin) Elbert of Boca Grande, FL and Dr. William Elbert of Redington Shores, FL; 10 great nieces and nephews; and 3 great great nieces and nephews.
Family members will greet guests during a viewing at the United Church of Christ in Williams Bay from 1:30-3:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 19. A private family interment will be held in the Spring. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Lakeland Animal Shelter in Elkhorn, WI.
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