Carrie Donney passed away surrounded by those she loved on December 12, 2025, at her home in Harmony, Minn., at the age of 65.
Carrie was born April 11, 1960, in Madison, Wis., the daughter of James and Ruth (MacKenzie) Fredericksen. She graduated from Byron High School in Byron, Minn.
She met her love, Steve, at Perkins in Rochester, where they were both working at the time. They were married on September 28, 1979. They began their life together in Harmony when they purchased the Harmony House Restaurant. They owned the restaurant from 1979 until 1995.
Carrie held other positions in the years to follow. She most enjoyed her work with Miracle Ear, as a hearing instrument specialist. She loved being able to help people regain their hearing, allowing them to live more fully and have meaningful conversations with those they love. She was proud to have won an award for helping people who were unable to afford hearing aids receive financial assistance.
Carrie was incredibly kind and generous. She often showed her love for her family and friends through thoughtful gifts and delicious food. She loved listening to music and could often be caught singing loudly and dancing along, whether at home, a concert or a show. She enjoyed watching cooking shows, competitions, and funny sitcoms and movies. Carrie had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh, especially at Steve’s jokes! Another favorite pastime was family game nights. She could be coaxed into playing, unless she was having too much fun rooting for her daughters to win against their father. She also loved vacationing anywhere with sunshine and a beach, Cozumel being a favorite.
She was preceded in death by her parents Ruth and James Fredericksen, mother and father in-law Laura Mae and Clifford Donney and sisters in-law Virginia Donney, Mary Fredericksen and Mary Donney Johnson.
Survivors include her husband Steven, daughters Sarah Donney and Laura Donney, siblings: Scott (Deb) Fredericksen, Amy (Scott) Oeltjen and Ross (Janeen) Fredericksen; siblings in-law: Charles (Sandy) Donney, Joe Donney, Susie (Dan) Meyers, Jerry (Sharon) Donney and Linda Donney; along with many beloved nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Gundersen Harmony Care Center, harmony Area Cancer Support Group and the American Diabetes Association.
A memorial service was held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, December 20, 2025, at Greenfield Lutheran Church in Harmony, with visitation one hour prior to services. A celebration of life followed until 3 p.m. at the Harmony Golf and Country Club. Schmelzer Funeral Home (formerly Lindstrom) in Harmony assisted the Donney family.
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