Donalda Tardiff

Donalda M. Tardiff

May 17, 1932 – February 5, 2026

It is with both deep sadness and great joy that we announce God has called our precious mom from this temporary life to her eternal home on Thursday, February 5, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona, at the age of 93.

Donna was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to Mary and Silas Roy Lewis and was the last remaining sibling of nine children. Donna was just 19 years old when she married David A. Tardiff, the love of her life, on June 23, 1951, at St. John’s Church in Essexville, Michigan. Together, they worked hard, raised five children, and built a beautiful life until Dave passed away on January 15, 1987. Donna was also preceded in death by her sons, Terry Tardiff and Scott Tardiff.

She is survived by her daughters, Mary Ann Berg (preceded in death by her husband, Jeffrey), Tammy Patterson (husband, John), Karen Wendling (husband, Steve), and her daughter-in-law, Cherie Tardiff. She is also survived by her grandchildren: David Parker; Kiri and Joel Mason; Kasie and Eric Ramirez; Kayla and Brandon Orr; and Kenra and Tyler Slaven. Her great-grandchildren include Timothy Mayes; Emery and Ezra Slaven; Makena Ramirez; and Grayson and Laken Orr.

She was “fun” Aunt Donnie to numerous nieces and nephews. Her laugh was contagious. She loved entertaining, and her door was always open when they wanted to pop in for a visit. Through the years, she had many loving and precious friends. Hearing her reminisce and tell stories of the “good old days” was always so amusing.

Donna was blessed to find someone to share life with a second time when a coworker introduced her to CJ Lisk in 1995 at the Elks Club, where she waitressed for 33 years. Two years after meeting, they both retired and began living their best life together. They loved sharing stories of their travels to Traverse City, golfing, spending time with friends, making new ones, and laughing and dancing the night away. They were together for 30 wonderful years until CJ passed away on September 22nd 2025.

Mom exemplified what it means to be a strong woman. She was a joy to be around and lived a long, meaningful life. She will be deeply missed but never forgotten.

A celebration of her life will be held in Bay City, Michigan, in May. For updated information and condolences go to avenidascremation.com

In lieu of flowers, the family is accepting donations for a personalized memorial bench to be placed along the Riverwalk in Bay City. A donation box will be available at the celebration of life. Donations may also be mailed to Karen Wendling at her home address or sent via Venmo or Zelle.