Donna Marie (Pettie) Sweeney

Donna Marie (Pettie) Sweeney passed away April 11, 2024, at the age of 66 after a long and brave struggle with cancer. A beautiful mother, partner, and friend to many; we will continue to honor her life by living with love, purpose, and an appreciation of all the little adventures along the way.

Donna leaves behind a loving partner, Tom Didier, of Rapid City, and her two children, daughter Chanda Pettie of Colorado and son, Kelsey Knudson of Wisconsin along with his two beautiful children Tula and Benton. Donna was the baby of a large family. She has two brothers, Ronnie and Billy Pettie, and four sisters: Arlene Aadland, Diana Holder, Roberta Farris, and Sharon Pettie. Her siblings Ronnie and Roberta, and her late husband James M Sweeney Jr., preceded her in death.

Throughout life, Donna was a free spirit that loved nature and a connection to the earth. Born in Bottineau, North Dakota to Ed and Nora Pettie, she often shared childhood memories of riding horses and playing in the woods of the Turtle Mountains. This grew into a career as a horticulturist, florist, and life explorer. Her adventures were souvenired by little rocks she gathered along the way, each a memory. She often asked her loved ones to bring her the same to share their travels with her. She was adorable in her delight of small things. She loved getting cards, visiting family and friends, trying new things, and she very much loved her kitties.

Donna had two children with her first husband, Keith Knudson of North Dakota; a daughter Chanda Pettie and a son Kelsey Knudson. She later made the Black Hills of South Dakota her home in the early 1990’s, settling in the mining ‘ghost’ town of Galena with her late husband James Sweeney Jr. Together they made a home out of a historic cabin on a creek that provided an abundance of wildlife encounters, solitude, and memories. With the passing of her husband in 2017, she moved to Rapid City to look towards new adventures. She found that and much more with her loving partner, Tom Didier of Rapid City, where they enjoyed Harley rides through the beautiful Black Hills and gathering with friends at the Happy Tavern. Just as her life was gaining a new bloom, it was cut short by cancer. She fought to get her life back and was relieved to ‘ring of the bell’ as a milestone of successfully completing surgery, chemo and radiation treatment, only to find out that same day of a second cancer diagnosis. Her grace and perseverance for life is a reminder for us all to take a moment, to be in this moment.

Donna’s family would like to thank the Monument Health Cancer Care Institute and Hospice House of Rapid City for their wonderful care of Donna in her last days. Donna’s ashes will be interred alongside her late husband at the Black Hills National Cemetery in Sturgis, SD on Monday, April 15, 2024.

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