Donna J. McKay

Donna (DJ) McKay, affectionally known as Baa to her 6 grandchildren, died peacefully on Saturday, January 11, 2025 in Davenport, IA. A funeral mass will be held in her honor, on Saturday, February 8, Visitation 9-10 am followed by a 10am mass at St. Anthony’s Church, Davenport, IA.. Friends and family are invited to join her children and grandchildren to toast her special life from 11-4p.m. at Me & Billy, 200 W. 3rd Street, Davenport. 

DJ was born in the middle of a snowstorm in Fort Dodge, IA, where she grew up with her parents, Joseph L. McMahon and Kitty A Condon and one brother, Joe, and two sisters Jane (Eagleson) and MaryEllen (Kirsch) all deceased. 

She attended Corpus Christi school in Fort Dodge from Kindergarten to her sophomore year and graduated from Fort Dodge High Schooland was known as a devoted A-student, church organist, and a very big fan of the men’s State Champion basketball team. DJ was a devoted campaigner for her dad’s bi-annual County Sheriff election, starting at the age of 8, she attended all the church chicken dinners as his sidekick. Always proud to say she was the Sheriff’s daughter who was able to reside in the Webster County Court House apartment..

DJ graduated from the University of Iowa, Iowa City. She was active with her sorority—Kappa Kappa Gamma-- in addition to practice with the synchronized swimming team, and keeping up with politics. As a Hawkeye, DJ made lifelong friends including a young man from Knoxville IA. DJ and “Boozie “were setup on St. Patrick’s day at the legendary Airliner in Iowa City.

Upon graduation, DJ moved to Chicago IL, where she proudly worked with Adlai Stephensen-- nominee for President in 1952 and 1956. DJ worked on Stevenson’s presidential election campaign and shared a few notable meetings with Eleanor Roosevelt, Anne Frank’s father, and Robert and John Kennedy

Dick and Donna married in 1961 near Lake Okoboji, IA. They moved from New Hampshire to Waterloo, Iowa in 1967, where they raised their three children, Tom (Erin) McKay of Davenport, Peter McKay of Reno NV, and Ann (Paul) Nicknish of Davenport. The McKay’s were immersed in the Waterloo community immediately –notably DJ set to work on the Bridgeway Program which maintained minority and non-minority student enrollment percentages at 50:50. The program attracted 300 children each year from throughout the district--including two of their own children and the majority of the neighborhood who will always remember the bus. 

DJ loved spending time in the summer with her family at Clear Lake. She was a champion of the Arts and was pivotal in the events and fundraising of the Waterloo Recreation Center. She loved reading books and up to 3 newspapers a day until her death. She took courses in her 40’s—notably French at UNI—to further her education and ledthe first family exchange program in 1976—with her own family. The trading of the McKay home with a French family’s home in Besancon, France established a true love of France and travel. Even today, all the McKay children and grandchildren feel comfortable abroad and knowthe importance of Michelin guides. 

DJ is survived by her three children and 6 grandchildren; Stephen M. Nicknish of Davenport, IA; Kelsey McKay, Denver CO; Will McKay, Salt Lake City UT; Meg Nicknish, Chicago IL; Caitlin McKay, VailCO; and Lily McKay, Chicago IL. She was preceded in death by Richard McKay, her parents, and siblings. 

Memorial contributions may be made in support of Department of Ophthamology, Institute for Vision Research Fund,University of Iowa Center for Advancement, P.O. Box 4550, Iowa City, IA 52244-4550. On the memo line or on a note attached, please indicate "Gift in memory of Donna and Richard Mckay." Credit card gifts may be made at givetoiowa.org

The family would like to extend their appreciation for the great stories and memories shared about Donna.