Sister Donna Butler, OSF, of the Sisters of St. Francis in Stella Niagara, died Nov. 3, 2016, at the Stella Niagara Health Center, at age 83.

She was born Dec. 30, 1932, in Buffalo, to Frank and Loretta (Holz) Butler. She received an education from Rosary Hill College, now Daemen College in Amherst, and the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., before continuing on with a long teaching ministry.

Sister Donna taught at various schools throughout the Buffalo area, including St. Ann, St. Benedict, Bishop McMahon High School and Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart. She also taught at schools in New Jersey, Ohio and West Virginia. She retired in 2001 and continued serving in volunteer ministry at St. Christopher Parish in Tonawanda, where she sang with the Solace Choir and distributed Holy Communion to individuals afflicted with illness, and at Sacred Heart Academy.

In 2014, Sister Donna became a patient in the Stella Niagara Health Center.

She is survived a sister-in-law, Therese Butler; as well as her nieces and nephews, David Butler, Mark Butler, Patricia Butler Koebke, Jennifer Carr, Kathleen Montesanti and Ellen Volz.

A funeral Mass was held in Sister Donna's memory at the Sisters' Chapel at Stella Niagara.