Donna R. Hauge

Donna Romée Hauge (née Shapira) passed peacefully and gently in Daytona Beach, FL, on May 1, 2026, with family and partner present. She was born February 13, 1929, in International Falls, MN.

As a teacher, composer, and musician, she touched many lives, but her greatest interest and pride was in her family, whom she adored.

Donna is survived by 5 children, Leif (Xueya) Hauge, Leah (Robert) Shimmin, Emily Hauge, Mari Hauge, Kari Hauge; 4 Grandchildren, Nick (Ashley) Shimmin, Nina (Brian Wray) Shimmin, James (Laura Williams) Hauge, Jack (Bronwyn Hill) Teel; 5 Great-Grandchildren, Abigail, Elin, Amelia, Colin, Rosemary; long-time partner, Lionel Marcoux; and sister, Linda Klemetsrud-Sharp.

She was preceded in death by her husband of over 50 years, Harris R. Hauge; her 10-month-old son, Peter Nathan Hauge; and her sister, Joan Shapira.

Celebrations of life will be held in Monmouth, IL, on Saturday, August 22 (pending time and location), and in Ormond Beach, FL, in October. The family would love to have students and fellow musicians join them in making music as part of the celebration. Memories and thoughts, and gifts for a memorial can be sent to McGuire and Davies Funeral Home. Gifts to the Monmouth Civic Orchestra (which Donna founded) or the Daytona Beach Civic Orchestra are also appropriate.

At 97, Donna had lived through the Depression, WWII, the Civil Rights Movements, the Vietnam War era, the Space Age, and the culture-changing impact of the Internet. She embraced all the advancements, and before her final decline, she got a new computer so she could write about her childhood with the “9th Avenue Roughnecks.”

Donna’s parents moved the family around the Midwest and the West Coast, following jobs. Various letters and reminiscences note International Falls (for all three daughters’ births), Fox, MN; Minneapolis, MN; Chicago, IL; Hammond, IN; Wisconsin; Kansas; Spokane, WA; Vanport; and finally, Vancouver, WA. Donna’s father, Nathan Shapira, worked many sales and physical jobs, and his saxophone always provided extra income and joy.

As a girl, Donna had two conflicting ambitions: to become a missionary or to become a musician. In pursuit of these goals, Donna went to St. Olaf College, where she met Harris (Per), a WWII veteran and soon-to-be librarian. They married in 1948 when she was 19, and he was 22, and her principal role for the next 30 years was as a wife, mother, and homemaker. They lived in North Dakota, Minneapolis, and St. Peter, MN, before their final move to Monmouth, IL. The marriage lasted until Per’s death at age 76. She met her second life partner, Lionel, several years later, and that was also a committed and loving relationship that lasted the rest of her life.

Music was central to Donna’s life. One of her great legacies is the Monmouth Civic Orchestra, which she founded in her retirement. The orchestra still flourishes, and her daughter Leah performed in a concert with them 2 days after Donna’s death.

Donna taught private lessons and played in several symphonies (e.g., Knox-Galesburg, SE Iowa State, Mankato, Daytona) and chamber groups (e.g., Monmouth College, Civic Three) and trios and quartets with her daughters. Her principal instrument was the violin, but she also played piano and drums (most recently with the Monmouth Municipal Band, when she was in her 80s). Her last performance was with the Daytona Community Symphony at age 95. She made several CDs with her Monmouth trio and her partner, Lionel (who is an accomplished Baritone). A very meaningful performance with Lionel was of her father’s music (he was a life-long saxophonist and composer). She left several of her own compositions, including the copyrighted Gentleman’s Waltz symphony and a piano trio she wrote for her twin daughters.

Donna returned to college at age 48 and completed her teaching degree. In her 50’s, she became a public-school teacher. For the next several years, she taught consecutively in Monmouth, Galesburg, Burlington, and at VIT (Vermont-Ipava-Table Grove). Her love and respect for her pupils, her organizational skills, and her creative and imaginative programming were exceptional. These attributes led her to form the Monmouth Civic Orchestra to provide a musical venue for beginning and amateur musicians.

The intangible gifts to her family are myriad. Principally, she passed on her love of music. All of her children and grandchildren learned to play an instrument, and most are still actively doing so. Her great-grandchildren are also learning instruments.

She taught her children to find joy in physical labor “work isn’t a curse, it’s a blessing.” She usually had a garden, although in later years her family tended it. She taught 2 of her daughters to play violin. Everyone learned domestic arts: baking bread, cleaning house, sewing. Everyone learned to appreciate literature and love life. She loved to bake. She loved vegetables, coffee, Häagen-Dazs, Tootsie Rolls, and crab. The list goes on.

Although much of her interest in politics was sparked by her second partner, she always had a keen interest in people and events, and when inspired to put a voice to her thoughts, she was an excellent writer (as letters to the editor can attest). Her generosity toward people and causes was consistent throughout her life. She may not have been a missionary of religion, but she surely was one of the spirit.

There were struggles, of course, principally of health. There was never enough money in the early years. She lived through the devastating Vanport Flood. She grieved the loss of Peter to the end. Her parents’ struggles reconciling the Norwegian and Jewish identities were reflected in many of her own struggles, and she was often fearful. And these struggles only make more remarkable her stubborn refusal to accept injustice, and her brave forward motion to accomplish so much. 

McGuire & Davies Funeral Home and Crematory, Monmouth, IL, is in charge of the arrangements.