Donna Mae Peterson

Donna Mae Peterson “Mummu”, 86, of Hilliard, Ohio, died peacefully in her sleep on November 20, 2024. Donna was born on April 18, 1938, in Waukegan, Illinois, to Taimi Irene (Turunen) and Uno Victor Toika.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother Robert Duane Toika (Sandra) and nephew Robert Victor Toika.

She is survived by sons David Karl Lee Peterson (Ming) of Novato, California and Douglas Charles Peterson (Lorrena) of Plain City, Ohio and grandchildren Sage, Tyler, Connor, Christopher, Matthew, and Elizabeth.

Donna’s childhood was spent playing among the forests and lakes of Michigan’s upper peninsula and fishing with her dad Uno. She graduated from Waukegan High School in 1956 and attended the University of Illinois where she studied art where she began a lifelong love of Asian design and culture. This included a treasured trip to China with her mother Taimi in the late 1970’s and exquisite lacquer furniture and porcelain pottery in every home she occupied.

As a mother, Donna was loving but firm. She dispensed her wisdom and never hesitated to gently needle her sons whenever they became too full of themselves. As a grandmother, she was Mummu, who cherished every moment with her grandchildren and leaves them with precious memories.

Donna worked for over 20 years as a waitress at Friendly’s where her warm smile, attentive service and kind demeanor earned her regular customers whose days she always brightened. Her second career was at Meijers where for over a decade customers would seek out her checkout line to enjoy her pleasantries and share family news.

Donna loved to watch sports and amateur sports in particular. She pioneered the staycation; taking two weeks off during every Olympiad to watch the nonstop coverage and often took a week off during March Madness to follow every NCAA tournament game.

Donna was intellectually curious throughout her life and enjoyed many different hobbies including indoor gardening, cooking, music and even internet web design. No pastime exceeded her passion for knitting and crocheting. Her closets and drawers were filled with hundreds of beautifully hand crafted garments and every other imaginable item that could be fabricated from yarn.

A celebration of Donna’s life will be held at the Shaw-Davis Clintonville Chapel 4341 North High Street Columbus, OH 43214, on Saturday, January 18th, 2025. Visitation will be at 10 AM with a service to start at 11 AM.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Donna’s name to Stand Up to Cancer.