La Donna Faye Gillum

Funeral services for La Donna Faye (Zeitvogel) Gillum, 71, of Cheek Road, will take place at 2:00 P.M. on Monday, November 9, 2026, at Alexander Gray Funeral Home Chapel in Wilson, with Bro. Billy Holder officiating. Interment will follow at Cheek Cemetery.

La Donna was born on March 26, 1955, in St. Louis, MO, to the late Richard George Zeitvogel and Delores Marie (Blankensop) Buttry. She passed away on November 4, 2026, at her daughter's home, surrounded by family.

Raised in East St. Louis, she later moved to a farm in Highland, IL, where she attended school. La Donna married Ronnie Stief on October 26, 1972, and later married Ron McCurtain on August 26, 1978. Her career with American National Insurance Co began in 1980 as an Insurance Agent, where she worked and then lastly in Data Entry. On June 6, 1990, she married Michael Leon Gillum in Zaneis, and they made their home on Cheek road. He preceded her in death on July 1, 2021. La Donna enjoyed soap operas, shopping, baking, and games like Wahoo and spades, with a special fondness for the color purple.

She was preceded in death by her parents; mother, Delores Buttry; husband, Michael Gillum; grandmother, Caroline Evans; brother, Richard Zeitvogel; aunt, Norma Eiskant; uncle, Chuck Blankenship; and her in-laws, Pat, Helen, and Leon Gillum.

La Donna is survived by her daughter, Kristy Sturdivant-Davis, and her husband Evan; grandson, Dylan Sturdivant; brother, Roy Buttry, and his children Teagan Buttry, Benny Buttry, Nikkie Tate, and Joshua Kaleiniz; along with her other children Darla, Michael, and Tera Gillum, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother-in-law, Terry Gillum, and many other family and friends.

Pallbearers will be Dakota Clark, Ray Altstatt, Gage Altstatt, Dale Pitts, Dylan Sturdivant, and Chase Musgrove, with Michael Gillum as an honorary bearer.

Visitation is scheduled for Sunday evening from 4-6 P.M. at Alexander Gray Funeral Home in Wilson. Memories may be shared online at www.alexandergrayfh.com.