Donna Lee Woodall Baker, 91, of New London, died Thursday, April 27, 2023 at Savannah Heights, Mt. Pleasant. She was born September 18, 1931 in Pleasant Grove Township to Frank Ernest and Sylvia Irene Millizer McCannon. She attended school at the Denmark Academy and was a member of The Open Bible Church in Mt. Pleasant.
On September 17, 1949 she married the love of her life, Frank Edward Woodall in Burlington; he died February 24, 1997. She married Bill Baker in New London on May 26, 1999; he died December 6, 2005. For many years she worked as a waitress in different restaurants; worked at the Glove Factory in New London; and was a clerk at the day old bakery in Burlington where she gave bread to women who couldn’t afford it for their children.
She was a member of the Iowa Quarter Horse Association; the American Quarter Horse Association; the Illinois Quarter Horse Association; the Des Moines County Saddle Club; the Henry County Saddle Club; and the Baltimore Township Saddle Club. She was an avid horsewoman and loved being with her family, especially her “girls” and their families.
She is survived by one daughter Judy (Dean) Messer of Bailey, Colorado; two granddaughters, Brandi (Kendall) Irvin, and Bobbi (Jacob) Spinsby; five great-grandchildren, Brennan, Kenadi, Logan, Natalie, and Kylie; three great-great-grandchildren, Drake, Avianna, and Sade; one brother Butch McCannon of New London and one sister Fernietta Woodall of New London. She was preceded in death by her parents, husbands, daughter Linda Riha; grandson Monte Burras; and sister Dorothy Higdon.
Graveside services will be held at 2:00 PM Monday May 1, 2023, at Pleasant Grove South Cemetery, rural Danville with Pastor Rod Cooper officiating. Visitation will begin at 9 am Monday at Elliott Chapel, with the family receiving friends from noon until 1:45. Memorials have been established for Southeast Iowa Regional Hospice and American Cancer Society. Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.