01/22/2026
David Thomas Donnan, 91, of Lincoln, formerly of Chestnut and Beason, passed away January 20, 2026, at Memorial Medical Center.
Cremation rites have been accorded by Holland Barry & Bennett Funeral Home. There will be a celebration of life at a later date.
David was born January 26, 1934, in Lincoln, IL, the son of Lester and Ruth (Gallagher) Donnan. He married Carol Voorhees in 1954. They had four children: Laura Allender (James) of Swansea, IL, Steven Donnan (Jennifer) of Sherman , TX, Thomas Lee Donnan (stillborn), and Susan Joyner (Gary) of Escondido, CA.
He later married the love of his life Fern Wilkins Steidinger and the family then included Deanna Khadem (Kamran) of Bella Vista, AR, Greg Steidinger of Colorado Springs, CO, and Eric Steidinger (Jim Robbins) of Willits, CA. Dave and Fern welcomed twins Michael Donnan (Edwin Kowalski) of Black Mountain, NC, and Nancy Kuithe (Steve) of Nashville, TN.
David graduated from Bloomington High School in 1952. He attended the University of Illinois where he was a member of Pi Kappa Phi Agricultural Fraternity, and Illinois Wesleyan University where he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon. David proudly served his country in the United States Army from 1954 to 1956. He later graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale with a degree in agriculture. After graduation, he was a ranch manager in Eureka, KS before coming back to Chestnut, IL to farm the family land. He was extremely proud of the Centennial Family Farm. In addition to farming, he worked hard to support the family driving a semi full time. David retired in 1999. He was active in the Logan County Farm Bureau and Jaycees.
In his retirement, David enjoyed continued participation in farming as a grain truck driver for other farmers during harvest. He and Fern toured the country in their RV and spent time in a south TX community of retirees where he took up woodworking, a hobby he continued to enjoy for many years. He delighted in teaching his grandchildren and great grandchildren the joys of woodworking and the fabulous array of tools associated with it.
David was an avid reader of local daily news and any periodical related to farming and animal husbandry. He also read every title by Louis L’Amour. David enjoyed movies, especially westerns with John Wayne and Clint Eastwood and all James Bond films. He stayed abreast of all current farming trends and closely monitored each year’s crop progress on weekly drives throughout Logan County. David also had a virtually encyclopedic memory of land ownership over decades in Logan County from careful study of plat books.
Above all, David cherished his family and loved deeply and without limits.
David is survived by his wife of 58 years, Fern, children, Laura, Steven, Susan, Michael, and Nancy, step children Deanna and Eric, 15 grandchildren, 24 great grandchildren, and niece Linda Cooper (Dean).
David was preceded in death by his parents, son Thomas Lee Donnan, stepson Greg Steidinger, and sister Norma Caringello and her husband Mike.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude's Children's Research Center.
