Donna Tande Lyng

Donna Tande Lyng, 95, of Bowie, Maryland, passed away in her home on April 27, 2021, with her son Eric and daughter Susan by her side. She was preceded in death by her husband Roger, parents Christian Olaf and Julia (Lien) Tande, siblings Adeline Tande Vincent, Olga Tande Belgum, Jeannette Tande Okland, Ludvig Tande, Lyder Tande, and their spouses. She was the last surviving member of a great generation.

Donna was born and raised in Scobey, Montana, the fifth child of Christian, who emigrated from Norway as a teenager along with his brothers, and his wife Julia, whose family emigrated from Norway a generation before. Donna was a gifted singer and pianist. She studied at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and received a bachelor’s degree from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. In 1949, she toured Norway with the Concordia Choir under the direction of Paul Christianson. During that tour she was the first “American” Tande to reunite with “Norwegian” Tande who remained in Norway and with whom she remained in contact until her death. 

After graduation, Donna became a voice teacher in the Lake Mills Iowa public school system. She met her husband Roger in Lake Mills after he returned home from World War II service and graduate studies at the University of Colorado. After marriage, they lived in the Southwest for many years before moving to Maryland. She and Roger were faithful Lutherans and active in their churches where they made lifelong friends. They were active in the Sons of Norway Baltimore chapter and the Norwegian American Club. Donna sang for many years in the Bowie Senior Chorale.

Donna is survived by her three children Eric, Susan, and Philip, eight grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren.

Donna was beautiful both inside and outside. She was a treasure to all who knew and loved her. She will be missed by her friends and family who survive her, and welcomed by those in heaven who have been waiting for her.

Visitation will be May 8 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Beall Funeral Home Bowie, Maryland. Her family will hold a funeral service later this summer in Iowa where she will be laid to rest alongside her beloved husband Roger.