Donna Jansens (nee Olney)

Obituary

Donna Joy Jansens (nee Olney) was born in Prince Albert, SK, on December 1, 1950, and she passed away at Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, MB, on Sunday, August 20, 2023, at the age of 72. She was the oldest of five children born to Edgar and Mabel Olney and is survived by her husband of 43 years, Leo, her three children: Dana Jansens of Toronto, ON, Nicolas Jansens of Heidelberg, Germany, and Kimberly (Kevin) Franklin of Winnipeg, MB, her siblings: Lois (Marv) Penner of Lake Country, BC, Judi (Ed) Brouwer of Osoyoos, BC, Phil (Claudia) Olney of Blumenhof, SK, Dwight (Jeanette) Olney of Winnipeg, MB, as well as two grandsons, Michael & Mathew Franklin of Winnipeg, MB, and her grand-puppy, Gracie.

Donna spent her early years in Brancepath, Kipling, and Caronport, SK, where her parents were involved in ministry. Then, after a year in Saskatoon, SK, the family moved to Kitchener, ON. After High School, Donna attended Briercrest Bible College in Caronport, SK, earning first a Diploma, and then a Bachelor’s Degree. She then moved to Alberta, where she worked at several banks in Lac La Biche, Calgary, and Medicine Hat. In 1979, she met the love of her life, Leo Jansens; they were soon engaged and then married in October that same year. They lived in Brooks, AB, for two years, Medicine Hat, AB, for two years, and then spent four years in Caronport, SK, while Leo attended Briercrest Bible College. By then, all three children had been born. In 1987, the family moved to Winnipeg, MB, where Donna lived for the rest of her life.

Donna stayed at home to care for the kids while they were young. In 1989, Leo had the opportunity to open a stationery store called Pen and Paper. It wasn’t long before Donna also was involved in the store, especially in the areas of inventory purchasing and management; she handled that very meticulously right until the time of her passing.

Donna was very musically oriented. She learned to play the violin in her younger years, but her piano playing was a gift that she used to minster to others all throughout her life. She was a choir pianist while she was a student at Briercrest and went on several choir tours for the school. In every church that she attended, she became one of the main church pianists. She was often busy writing music or arrangements, whether it was for her own use, or for the benefit of others who needed music to play along on other instruments.

Donna was a committed follower of Jesus, having accepted Him as her Saviour at a young age, and her faith was a very important part of her life. She also loved people and found various ways to bless friends and others that she met through the years. She will be greatly missed by her family, friends and the many people that knew her.

A livestreamed service to celebrate Donna’s life will be held Saturday, August 26, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at Rowandale Baptist Church, 162 Rowandale Ave., Winnipeg, MB.

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