She was quick to help and quick to laugh, and when she decided she was ready to go,

she did that quickly, too. LaDonna Sue Witmer left this earth on the afternoon of August 8, 2026, after several years suffering with Alzheimer's disease.

Sue was born in Sullivan, IN on September 15, 1942. She had happy memories of childhood years spent in Dugger with her maternal grandparents. She was a 1960 graduate of Thornton Township High School in Harvey IL, and a 1963 graduate of Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Nursing School in Chicago, where she earned a degree as a Registered Nurse. She then traveled by train to California, where she worked in the pediatrics unit of Cedars of Lebanon Hospital and bought herself a baby blue VW bug. In 1968, Sue joined the Air Force Nursing Corps where she held the rank of Captain. She met David Witmer in Newport News, Virginia in 1970 and married him four days after her 28 th birthday on September 19, 1970. They welcomed two daughters, LaDonna Marie and Johanna Tillie into the world, and raised them on Son Shine Acres in Dixon Illinois, where Sue kept a large garden, a few goats, an assortment of farm cats and a couple of Beagles. Her door was always open to her home and her heart. She was a Helper of the highest order. Always on hand with band-aids and a casserole. She loved the kind of people others would look away from. She was always ready to hold someone's baby, watch someone's kid, pick up someone's groceries, drive them to doctor appointments. If you needed her, Sue was there. She had a quick temper, yes, but her kindness was even quicker. She was forever and always a person who checked on other people, who baked banana oatmeal cookies and dropped them off at the fire station just because, who met strangers on trains and then sent them birthday cards; who could strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere, her laugh ready and contagious. Random things she loved: Winnie the Pooh. Peanut Buster Parfaits. Daisies. Children. Disabled people. Old people. Sick people. Lonely people. Sad people. People people. Chickens. The color blue. Quilts. Driving fast. Puffy clouds. Diet Coke. Silver necklaces. Laughter. Visitors. Babies. Gardens. Beachcombing. Pecan pie. Jesus. How fortunate we were to have had such a beautiful soul in our lives, to have existed at the same time, in the same orbit. Her love left its mark on all who knew her.

Left behind are her husband Dave and daughters LaDonna and Johanna, along with their husbands, Bruce (LaDonna) Willems and Jason (Johanna) Baldwin; her grandchildren Jude, Lu, Josette, and Alma; her sister Annette and brother John; her niece Pam; nephews Dan, Scott, and Ron; and many friends, neighbors, acquaintances, and strangers on trains who felt the warmth of her love. Gone ahead are her mother, Mary Ellen, her stepfather Ernie, her father Glenn, and her brother Allan, and her grandparents Tillie and Miles.

A memorial service celebrating Sue's life will be held on Sunday, November 22, 2026 at 3pm at Sugar Grove Church & School, 352 Timber Creek Road in Dixon, IL.  All who love her are welcome to attend.
In lieu of flowers, Sue requested donations be sent to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL. .

All who love her will be welcome to attend. In lieu of flowers, Sue requested donations be sent to Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.