Donna Loos

Donna Loos died Oct. 20, 2018, in Missoula at the age of 87.

Donna was born at home in Hyattville, Wyoming, the fourth of eight children, to Eula May Abbott Fleury and Jean Baptiste Fleury. At age 11, after her father’s death, the family moved to Lovell, Wyoming. She attended school there, where she met and married Karl (Charlie) Loos in 1949. They raised two daughters, Marie and Margaret.

Donna graduated from Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming, and received her bachelor's in arts education from Eastern Montana College. She had a long career in Billings as an all-around art scene stalwart — artist, art teacher in the public school system for almost three decades, and activist in organizations including the Montana Institute of the Arts, the Montana Art Education Association and the Stillwater Society. She put up exhibits in almost every art gallery across Montana and was best known for painting large canvases of semi-abstract landscapes with grand skies and bold-colored fields, trees and rock formations.

Several years after her husband’s death in 1995, Donna moved to Missoula. As she aged and painting became more difficult, Donna revisited clay, enrolling in ceramics courses at the University of Montana and later working at the Clay Studio of Missoula making hand-built art.

Survivors include daughters Marie DeMarois (husband Rob of Missoula); daughter Margaret Loos (husband George Romero of Watsonville, California); grandchildren Hailey DeMarois (husband Zack Unruh and much-adored great grandson Hank, of Red Lodge) and Ben DeMarois of Portland, Oregon; sister Doris Radke of Menifee, California; and many nieces, nephews and friends.

Cremation has taken place and a gathering of family will be held at a later date. Donations in memory of Donna may be made to the Clay Studio of Missoula.