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HARTINGTON – Donna Burbach has dished out meals made with love to Holy Trinity and Cedar Catholic students for nearly three decades.
However, the 2023-24 academic year marks the end of her career as the food service manager/head cook for the school, as she is planning to retire soon from the position.
“My position as head cook/manager has been a struggle the past couple of years,” Donna said. “I have always said I was going to retire when I reached retirement age, but was very hard to put into action. My mind would tell me I could do things, but my body screamed at me, 'Like, what are you trying to do to me?'” Donna still was struggling with her decision to retire until just the last few months.
“God showed me I made the right one,” Donna said. “He has blessed me with a great husband, awesome sons and daughters-inlaw, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and has still allowed me to have my dad.
“With the death of my mom and health problems in the family and grandma duties, it was really hard to be at school and put a lot of stress on my co-workers,” she said. “They all did a great job, but should not have had to be put in that position either.”
Donna took a job at the Holy Trinity Elementary cafeteria 29 years ago under the leadership of Dorothy Murray.
“I started out at two days a week, as I was asked to take those days and see if I thought I would be interested in Dorothy’s position as she was getting ready to retire,” Donna said.
Donna was pregnant at the time with her son Jared, and her husband, Pat, and she decided this would be a perfect job for when Jared started school.
“I would be home after school and weekends and summers – something that I never got a chance to do with my oldest son Josh,” Donna said. “I had been in the café business for over 10 years at this point in my life and I decided that this would be something I could do and really enjoy.”
After a few years of working at Holy Trinity Elementary, Donna took over the position of food service manager/head cook at the school and also became a stay-at-home mom/grandma for the summer months, weekends and after-school hours.
“What a special blessing that (God) gave me,” Donna said. “No, I did not get rich – money-wise – on this job, but (with) the blessings all these youngsters have given me over the years, I would say I am one of the wealthiest women in Hartington.”
Donna is not a Hartington native, as she was born in Lynch to Lyle and Shirley Wells and grew up on a farm 12 miles south of that town. She attended a little country school in the unincorporated community of Redbird for kindergarten-eighth grade.
“This is the same school that my dad and his dad went to,” Donna said. “In the ninth grade, I went to Lynch High School. I was supposed to graduate in 1976, but got married and had my oldest son Josh.
“My husband and I moved around several different towns over seven years and moved back to Lynch – when Josh started the first grade – to operate the Bakery Café,” she said. “Our married life ended, but I stayed in Lynch and ran the café.” Donna and Josh moved to Hartington in 1990. He graduated from Hartington High School in 1993, while she operated the Cedar Café until that same year, when she met and married Pat, before starting her job at Holy Trinity Elementary within the next two years after that.
Teresa Arens will take over Donna’s position at the school on June 1, while Donna will stay on as an employee until June 30.
“She has worked at the cafeteria on and off for a few years as an employee at a lot of different positions,” Donna said of Teresa. “She is really good at communicating with the students and the students like talking to her as well.
“I hope and pray people will come and work for her as they have for me to keep the Holy Trinity cafeteria a great place for your children to get a well-balanced and nutritious meal,” she said. “We have had a lot of people retire this past year so there are openings.”
This summer, Donna’s plans include baking her goodies for the Hartington Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings.
“Maybe Pat and I can enjoy visiting relatives, spending more time with my kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, my dad and friends,” Donna said. “Then this winter, maybe some traveling and doing some of those projects that I said I would do someday. Boy, I think I am going to be busy.”
