Rose Theresa (Barry) Donk, long time resident of Aurora, passed away June 22, 2024 in Florence, KY. She was born June 23, 1940 in Maysville, KY to John and Sarah (Peters) Barry Sr.
She married her beloved husband Gilbert “Buddy” Donk on February 4, 1967 at St. Saviors Church in Cincinnati, OH. They celebrated 46 years together until his passing in 2013.
She graduated from Good Samaritan School of Nursing as an RN and worked in the profession over 40 years, the majority of which was at Dearborn County Hospital. Nursing was her true passion and calling. She would often tell friends and family that she was a darn fine nurse, however not so much a cook. One of her shared cake recipes reminds the baker to use ground cloves, not whole.
A member of St Mary’s Parish for the majority of her life, she enjoyed working in the school while her kids were in elementary school. Her faith was a strong, important piece of who she was and she was very thankful for home visits in later life when attendance at mass became difficult.
Her lucky streak was well known and she enjoyed parlaying that luck when going to “the boat” with her retired nurse friends and her family. Going there would frequently bring out her radiant smile (and perhaps occasionally a few words that should not be repeated).
Surviving are her children, Kathy (Mike) Klaene of Florence, KY and Matt (Kristan) Donk of Fort Wayne, IN; and grandchildren, Jake Klaene of Florence, KY and Nick Klaene of Bellevue, WA, and Alex Juliano of Fort Wayne, IN; and a host of nieces, nephews and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Bud; her parents; four brothers, Daniel, John “Jack”, Martin and Patrick Barry, and three sisters Mary Sanders, Sarah Calvert and Agnes Helbling.
Friends will be received on Thursday, June 27th from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm at St. Mary’s Church with Mass of Christian Burial held at 3:00 pm.
Interment will follow in the Riverview Cemetery, Aurora, Indiana.
Gus, Kathy’s rescue dog, was a huge comfort to her and she loved his visits. Donations may be made to Louie’s Legacy-louieslegacy.org or Boone County Animal Control-boonecountyky.org so that other animals can find forever homes.