Obituary

Our dear mother, MaDonna Mae Reinke of Lynden, WA passed away at St. Joseph Medical Center on October 15, 2022, after a brief illness; she was 83 years old.  MaDonna was born June 14, 1939, in Cascade, Iowa, one of 11 children born to George and Ella McGovern.  She attended St. Martin’s High School before becoming a nurse. In 1960 she met her husband Merlyn Lee Reinke, and the two were married May 13^th, 1961, and remained so for 48 years until his passing on May 5, 2009.

MaDonna began her career as a licensed practical nurse, the beginning of her lifelong journey in nursing, eventually returning to school and earning her degree as a registered nurse.  For over 55 years, MaDonna maintained a career in nursing, retiring from St. Joseph Medical Center in 2014 from the Childbirth Center where she spent the last 35 years of her career caring for new mothers and their infants. She was seen as spicy, compassionate, hardworking, and for those who worked the night shift with her, the 3am storyteller of her life growing up, the kids she raised and her career in nursing. She had the canny ability to take one and all under her wing, whether you were a co-worker or patient, you felt taken care of and supported, yet encouraged to fly on your own. A culmination of her loving care as a nurse was honored at the Washington State chapter of March of Dimes Nurse of the Year Awards 2008. MaDonna was awarded the prestigious award of Legend of Nursing.

As nursing was her career, her family was her passion. We knew growing up that she loved being a wife, mother and later a grandmother. That nothing made her prouder than seeing her children growing and finding themselves as young adults and later become parents themselves.

MaDonna will be dearly missed by her immediate and extended family. She is survived by her daughter, Lori, and son-in-law, Pat Brown, and grandchildren Brenna, Tristan, and Brielle; daughter, Lisa, and son-in-law, Bernie Von Herbulis, and grandchildren, Justin, Chad, Travis, and Garrit; and son Jeff, and daughter-in-law, Gillian Reinke, and grandchildren, Cameron, Shaelyn, and Mason. She is also survived by her siblings Jackie, Joan, Betty, Sr. Ann, Linda, Robert, and Marie. She is preceded in death by her loving husband, Merlyn, her parents, and siblings James, Tom, and Faith.

An open house to celebrate the life of MaDonna will be held on Wednesday, November 2, 2022, from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM, at the home of Jeff and Gillian Reinke, 1412 Larkspur Street, Lynden, WA.