Graveside services for 91-year-old Donna Lee (Perdue) Merritt Laverty will be held on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the Griswold Cemetery, located 2 miles west of Griswold on the north side of Highway 92. Luncheon will be served afterward at Griswold Church of Christ. Rieken Duhn Funeral Home in Griswold is assisting with arrangements.
Donna Lee (Perdue) Merritt Laverty, a longtime resident of Griswold, Iowa, was born on February 26, 1935, in Griswold, Iowa, to parents Ora Estes and Ione (Palmer) Perdue, and passed away peacefully at Heritage House in Atlantic, Iowa, surrounded by her loving family on September 17, 2026, at the age of 91 years, 6 months, and 21 days.
Donna’s childhood family grew to 8 children on the family farm in southwest Iowa. Times were hard in those years, but Mom had many happy memories of farm life. Donna married Dean Merritt in August of 1954, and they were married for 43 years. The marriage ended in 1997, but they remained friends. Donna married Carl Laverty in December of 1999. They were married for 11 years until Carl passed away in 2010.
Donna was a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, daughter, sister, wife, and friend. Her passions in life included gardening (she loved flowers and she and dad always had a big garden for canning and freezing produce), picnics (she made the best potato salad), homemaking (she and Dad built their home in Griswold), reading (she loved romances and mysteries), solving puzzles of all kinds, and spending time with family and friends. She will be remembered as a beautiful person, a positive and generous spirit, a woman of faith and long-time member of the Griswold Church of Christ, a fun-loving person who loved to laugh and play cards and games, a great cook who could take any wild game dad brought home and make it delicious, a loyal and supportive friend and neighbor who always made time for tea and conversation.
Her children remember growing up across the street from Griswold High School and their home being the favorite hangout for friends and family. A favorite memory of mom is making pancakes in our kitchen for the wrestling team after they all made weight before a meet. Mom worked part-time in the school kitchen when the kids were in elementary school and at the drug store in Griswold when the kids were in high school. After the kids left home, Mom and Dad bought and remodeled a country home, where they lived until 1997. Donna then moved to town, then to Assisted Living at Griswold Care Center at age 84, and then to Heritage House Memory Care at age 89. She is greatly missed and remembered with love.
Donna is survived by her children: Renee Jones of Atlantic, Iowa, Sherri Merritt of Bandon, Oregon, and Kevin (Laura) Merritt of Orchard Mesa, Colorado, grandchildren: Tressa (Jeff) Hackwell of Atlantic, Iowa, Shauna (Bryce) Casey of Atlantic, Iowa, Joshua Merritt of Orchard Mesa, Colorado, Great-Grandchildren: Michael Hotze (Harley and Alivia) of Adair, Iowa and Lilly Casey, of Atlantic, Iowa, sister: Toni Bruce of Missouri, brother: Platt (Donna) Perdue of Griswold, Iowa and numerous nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.
Donna is preceded in death by her parents: Ora and Ione Perdue; husbands: Dean Merritt and Carl Laverty; brothers: Ora Lee Perdue, Willard Perdue, Orlen Perdue, and Kim Perdue; sister: Rose Boseck; and son-in-law: Byron Jones.
