Donabell Joy Qualey

Donabell Joy Qualey, 67, Fargo, ND, died on Tuesday, February 8, 2005, in Rosewood on Broadway, Fargo. She passed away surrounded by her children after a long and courageous battle with cancer. The memorial service will be held at 2 pm on Saturday, February 19, 2005, in First Lutheran Church, Fargo.
Donabell Joy Qualey was born on August 14, 1937, in Lester Prairie, MN. She was a petite, fiery little girl with a magnetic smile and a laugh that filled the room. She loved movies and music, and was active in school clubs. She graduated from Lester Prairie High School in 1955.
In 1956, Donabell married Donald Qualey. Soon after, they moved to Fargo, where she raised and loved her four children and the more than 30 foster babies she took care of. They divorced in 1979 after more than 23 years of marriage.
In the 1980s, Donabell was a dedicated, hard-working mother who worked as many as three jobs at a time to support her family. Lured by the promise of sunshine and an arthritis-friendly climate, Donabell moved to Mesa, AZ in 1991. She worked at Isola Laminate Systems until she retired in Dec, 2002. During that same month, she would begin the fight of her life.
In 2003, she moved back to Fargo to fight a tireless battle against cancer, while surrounded by her family. Donabell loved her children, and she absolutely lived for her grandchildren. Without fail, in the worst of her times, they brought out that laugh of hers, and like magic still, it filled the room. She never gave up hope, never lost her positivity, and she never stopped smiling. She smelled life's flowers and danced like no one was watching. But most of all, she loved.
Donabell is survived by her four children, Scott Qualey, Naomi (Bill) Edwards, Mark Qualey, and Cory (Misty) Qualey (all Fargo); four grandchildren, Amanda, Michael, Kayla and Taylor; and a sister LaVeta Zwack, Maple Grove, MN. She is preceded in death by
MEMORIAL SERVICE: Saturday, February 19, 2005 - 2:00 PM in First Lutheran Church, Fargo, ND.