Donna M. Klaas

Donna M. Klaas, 55, of Austin passed away on Saturday, May 30, 2009 in Austin after a long courageous battle with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Donna was born in Caracas, Venezuela on February 4, 1954 to parents Donald Lenertz and Eleanora Bartosh Lenertz while her father worked in South America for Proctor and Gamble. Donna grew up in Port Lavaca, Texas, graduating from Calhoun High School. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Allied Health from Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas and a Certificate in Dental Hygiene from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas. Donna was a dental hygiene clinician and instructor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and worked as a dental hygienist and instructor in dental hygiene at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas. She later took advanced sales training and worked as a professional sales representative for Scherer Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson, and Hu-Friedy in Dallas, Texas. She traveled extensively for these companies and managed territories in California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado. After moving to Austin in 1991 she became a marketing and sales consultant with T.H.E. Design, Inc., an architectural design company. There she developed marketing strategies, trained sales team members and helped complete contracts for design services for dental offices across the nation. In 2002 Donna continued part time contract work with T.H.E. Design and JP Consultants. Donna married Jeff Klaas on October 11, 2001. They completed their lovely home in Lakeway in 2003 and continued their life living happily ever after. Donna enjoyed visiting friends and family, maintaining her flower garden, talking to friends, taking wonderful care of her 2 beloved dachshunds, cooking meals and holiday treats, keeping her house, taking trips to the spa for massage and manicure, and celebrating her birthday for an entire month. Donna will be remembered as a loving, generous, strong and brave woman who was loved by her husband, family and friends. Those who will honor and cherish her memory are her husband Jeff, aunts, uncles, cousins and many, many friends. There will be a memorial for Donna on Saturday, June 13 at 2 pm at the Klaas home in Lakeway. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Down Home Ranch, Elgin, Texas. Words of comfort may be shared at www.wcfish.com