Donna Jean Seelund

Danville – Donna Jean Seelund, 81, formerly of Westville & Danville, IL and later of Springfield & Petersburg, IL, passed to heaven at 8:06 PM, Thursday, January 29, 2026, at Springfield Memorial Hospital.

She was born November 20, 1944, to Jesse “Joe” Smith and Lillie Pauline Smith in Danville, IL. Donna was one of four children. Her surviving sister is Nancy Jo Humphreys.

Donna had previously been married to Reuben E. Seelund, and from this union had two children: daughter Rachelle (James) Leckrone of Athens, IL and son, Reben M. (Christal) Seelund of Auburn, IL; and six grandchildren

She is preceded in death by her two brothers, Joseph Wayne Smith and David LeRoy Smith-Bentley.

Donna worked for General Motors for 14 years as a cook in the cafeteria, then later worked in the hotel industry in Danville. In retirement, she moved to Springfield, IL to be near her children.

Cooking was one of Donna’s loves in life. She really enjoyed pleasing family and friends with her large dinners and making special “food projects” for fun. Later, she enjoyed watching the Food Network often.

Watersports were another of her interests. She was a lifeguard in her 20’s, and enjoyed boating, waterskiing, fishing, and swimming for years. She shared this enthusiasm with her children, often taking them to the YMCA, the Twin Lakes of Paris, and Lake of the Woods in Mahomet to swim and picnic. Family fun was had by all.

Along with the outdoors, Donna liked all kinds of flowers. She grew six-foot sunflowers, morning glory fences, picked tiger lilies from the roadsides, and planted lots of tulip bulbs. In later years, her daughter Rachelle would bring her flowers grown from her garden.

BINGO was a passion of Donna’s. She would “play the BINGO circuit” in Westville and Danville, taking her winnings from one game to the next. She continued to play in Springfield at Caritas Hall for “Big Money” and hit the big jackpot several times. At the nursing home, she played often and collected points to use as money at their monthly BINGO auction. She also enjoyed a good game of Rummy with family and friends throughout her life.

But Donna’s greatest love was family. Her children and grandchildren meant the world to her, raising her children with a loving heart and always showing true affection. She waited a long time for grandchildren and was thrilled with the arrival of each one.

Donna’s character was her greatest asset. She believed in helping others often, sharing what she had even when it wasn’t much, and didn’t know a stranger. Her beautiful smile and the kindness in her heart just glowed. It always felt good to be around her.

Donna passed along her loving touch and radiant smile to her children, and her legacy is to love and care for one another.

A service to celebrate the life of Donna Jean Seelund will be held at 2 PM on Saturday, February 7, 2026, at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 3940 N. Vermilion St., Danville, IL 61834. Burial will follow at Sunset Memorial Park. Visitation will be held from 1-2 PM prior to the service on Saturday, also at Sunset in Danville.

Please join Donna’s family in sharing memories, photos, and videos of her life through her tribute wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.