Donna Marlene (Pfeifer) Rainey

August 11, 1938 – May 22, 2021

Donna Marlene (Pfeifer) Rainey passed away at Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake, Washington, on May 22, 2021. She was born on August 11, 1938, on the family wheat and cattle ranch near Marlin, Washington. She was the sixth daughter and 11th child of Philip and Annette Pfeifer.

Donna attended and graduated from Marlin High School, where she was active in tennis and other sports. She studied business administration at Eastern Washington University for a year and then moved to Seattle, where she worked as a teletypist for Northwest Pacific Bell.

Nicknamed “Danny,” she had a kind heart and good sense of humor. She loved to joke around with her many nieces and nephews. She also loved cats and dogs, particularly strays, and often rescued them.

It was a dream of hers to go to Hawaii. In 1960, she and three friends moved to Honolulu, where she worked as a waitress. After four years there, she moved back to Odessa and worked at Odessa Drug. In Odessa, she met local spray plane pilot Claude Rainey. They married in Moscow, Idaho, in 1968 and divorced in 1983. Next she moved to Moses Lake, where she worked at K-Mart and lived for many years at Harvest Manor.

She had no children and was preceded in death by her parents and by her brothers and sisters Gladys Nelson, Lenora Wraspir, Iva Thrall, Howard, Cecil, Ray (Bud) and Ervin (Dale) Pfeifer.

She is survived by “Punch and Judy” twins Lois Starkel and Loren (Shari) Pfeifer of Odessa; also, Lorene (Bob) Arbuckle of Ephrata and Keith (Judith) Pfeifer of Yakima. She is also survived by many nieces, nephews and great-nieces and -nephews.

At Donna’s request, there will be no service. In lieu of flowers, friends may wish to donate to any women’s charity or animal rescue organization.

Please express your thoughts and memories for the family at www.kayserschapel.com. Arrangements are under the care of Kayser’s Chapel of Memories.