Donnie was raised in Springfield, Nebraska and graduated from Springfield High School. His mother passed away when Donnie was three years old as a result of an auto accident. He and his father then resided in Springfield with his Aunt Liz and Uncle Smitty. At the age of sixteen, he was in a rollover car crash which paralyzed him from the waist down. Donnie eventually moved out west for work where he enjoyed vacationing in Arizona and participating in his Lutheran faith, which he was baptized and confirmed in. He worked as an accountant for St. Francis hospital in Grand Island, NE until he retired in the mid 70's due to health reasons.
Preceded in death by parents, Frank and Minnie Basse, Aunt and Uncle, Liz and Donald Schmidt, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Survived by cousins, Jim Beck, Scott Weighner, Ray Beck, Janice Mann; special friend, Patience Wildman; and caregivers, Barbara Paup, and Leo Tunks.