Eileen "Emmy" Donovan

Eileen “Emmy” Marie (Wallin) Donovan, 66, of Hartland, MN; formerly of Salt Lake City, UT; raised in Jerome, ID; passed away March 14th, 2022, in Minnesota. Eileen was born on November 16, 1955, in Jerome, ID to John William Wallin and Martha Jean (Yowell) Wallin. She graduated from Jerome High School in 1974 and then from a Radiology Technician program in Pocatello, ID that is now a part of Idaho State University. She later moved to Salt Lake City, UT and initially worked at Primary Children’s Hospital and then for thirty years for a health services company, Optum. As successful as she was in her professional achievements, the greatest impact she made was in the individual relationships she had with those around her.

She had a great sense of humor and a quick wit. She was someone you wanted to hold onto. Someone who made it hard to say goodbye.

She had a gift for connecting with people. You wanted to be around her. She wasn’t just there, she was present. She didn’t just see things, she noticed them. She seemed to have an unlimited capacity to love others. Every brother, sister, niece, or nephew felt like they were her favorite. Every friend felt like they were a brother or a sister.

Eileen was an avid outdoor enthusiast. She loved to ski, bike, hike, and raft. She was always up for an adventure. Everything she did was done big and done well. She excelled in anything she set her mind to.

She met the love of her life 17 years ago and married Tim Donovan on February 14th, 2020. She is survived by him, stepsons Andrew (Rebecca) Donovan, St. George, KS and Nathaniel (Carlie) Donovan, Bloomington, MN; mother Martha Jean Wallin, Jerome, ID; brothers Craig (Carolyn), Salt Lake City UT; Dennis, Mackay, ID; Brent (Lisa), Logan, UT; Bruce (Michelle), Kennewick, WA; sister Amy (Les) Harper, Buhl, ID; and many nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, whom she loved, spoiled, and treated as if they were her own children. She was preceded in death by her father, John William Wallin.

Visitation 5:00 pm -7:00 pm, Monday, March 21, 2022, at Bonnerup Funeral Home, Albert Lea, MN. Funeral Mass 10:30 am, Tuesday, March 22, 2022, at All Saints Catholic Church, New Richland, MN with visitation 1 hour prior. Interment will be held at a later date in Jerome, Idaho.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Sharing Place (grief support for children) in Salt Lake City (thesharingplace.org). Eileen was a volunteer there for many years and it held a very special place in her heart.

LIVE STREAM INFORMATION:  For those who would like to participate in Emmy's service via live stream, you can watch the service on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 at 10:30 am.  It can be viewed by scrolling to the bottom of this page, and "CLICK PLAY" to begin.  Please leave a message of support on our Tribute Wall to let the family know you were able to watch the service.  If you are having troubles with the Live stream, the service will be available to watch later in the day.