Donna Rae Kalichak, 75, of Plano, Texas, passed away peacefully May 24th, 2020 with her family by her side. She was born on March 11, 1945, in Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada. Donna attended Dauphin High School where she participated in many sports activities and then went on to Little's Business College. She began her career with the Canadian National Railway. She married Ken Kalichak (high school sweethearts) in 1965 in Dauphin. They enjoyed life's adventure by living in several cities including Calgary, Chicago, San Francisco and finally in Plano, Texas. They were happily married for almost 55 years.
Donna is survived by her husband, Ken, two children, Suzanne Golden (husband Tony) of Allen, Texas and Jason Kalichak (wife Betsy) of Tampa Florida. She is also survived by her mother Mary Komfolio, siblings Bill Komfolio (wife BettyLou) and Joanne Pritchard (husband Gib) and their families; five grandchildren Brendan, Caley, Joey, Emily and Ethan. Donna was predeceased by her father Joe Komfolio and granddaughter Kristen.
Donna enjoyed exercising, shopping, sewing, cooking and supporting her family. After her kids were grown, she restarted her career with the City of Plano's Engineering Department and then working in the family business. At retirement Donna and Ken spent many winters in Florida and a month in the summer in Canada. She enjoyed traveling to visit friends and family.
A memorial for Donna will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, please consider sending a donation to UT Southwestern Medical Center and mail to: UT Southwestern Medical Center, Office of Development and Alumni Relations, P.O. Box 910888, Dallas, Texas 75391-0888. Online donations can be made at https://engage.utsouthwestern.edu/donate-now. Please indicate the gift is in memory of Donna Kalichak and is designated to support Corticobasal Degeneration research in the Peter O'Donnell Brain Institute.