Regina "Regi" Teresa Donaldson

Regina Teresa Poskus was born April 12, 1942 in Kaunas, Lithuania.

In 1944, her parents, with Regina and her baby brother, risked fighter plane gunfire and bombings to escape Lithuania with only a few belongings, before the Russians closed the border. The escape was necessary as her father was part of the resistance against the Russians.

They first fled to Poland, and as the Russians were closing in, they fled to Germany where they spent the next few years in a Displaced Persons camp where her sister was born.

Eventually her uncle, who lived in Rochester, NY was able to act as their sponsor, and brought them to America where they arrived on July 4, 1947. From then on July 4th held an incredibly special meaning, probably more than had she been born in America.

She grew up in Rochester, NY, and lived there until graduating from High School, then moved to Chicago where she attended Loyola University, graduating with a degree in German.

Through God’s providence a beautiful girl from Lithuania happened to meet a plain Iowa farm boy (who had barely heard of Lithuania), as fate would have it their apartments were on the same floor. For some reason they frequently met either in the hallway or the elevator. Through some matchmaking efforts by the manager of the apartment building, they fell in love. They were married in October of 1966. This coming October would have been their 54th wedding anniversary.

Because of her husband’s employment they moved several times, from Chicago to Milwaukee, then Atlanta, St. Louis and finally Des Moines where they have resided for 48 years.

Their three children were each born in a different city, Steven was born in Chicago, Rebecca in St. Louis, and Jennifer in Des Moines.

Regi always enjoyed cooking, always experimenting with various ingredients, she developed a knack for developing flavorful recipes not just from her Lithuanian culture, but from the areas of the country where the family resided. She was also an incredibly creative and talented seamstress who made her college prom dress, wedding dress and several matching outfits for her and her girls.

While raising a family she worked for Blue Cross/Blue Shield in Chicago, Atlanta, St. Louis, and Des Moines. In Des Moines she was a supervisor for Medicare Group D and created their training manuals. She moved from Blue Cross/Blue Shield to Bankers Trust where she developed a training program for the Compliance Officers. She also served as a wedding coordinator after the birth of her youngest daughter.

After stepping away from the corporate world she enhanced her cooking and baking skills and competed in many of the food competitions offered at the Iowa State Fair, winning a number of prizes with her entries.

When Pillsbury announced their 1988 National Bake Off Regi decided to take the plunge and enter. Her recipe was a winner which earned her a trip to San Diego as one of 100 finalists. She was featured in the Smithsonian Magazine’s article covering the bake off.

Eventually she wrote and published “The Amazing Little Cranberry” cookbook, at that point the Iowa State Fair considered her a professional, and she could no longer be a competitor, so she sponsored her own cooking-with-cranberries competition at the Iowa State Fair for five years.

During this time, she started Regi’s Cranberries making jams, jellies, salsas, and chutneys and selling them at the Farmers Market, where she became known as the “Cranberry Lady”. During this time, an article in Midwest Living resulted in nationwide exposure.

After 10 years as the “Cranberry Lady” she retired and devoted her time to be a grandmother to three granddaughters and traveling with her husband around the country, various foreign countries and to trade shows. She especially enjoyed accompanying him to conventions in Las Vegas, not to gamble, but to check out all the restaurants, bakeries, and shops with the wives of the other sales reps.

She truly loved the Lord with a passion, each time the family moved one of the first things on their checklist was to find a church home, and then become involved in some manner.

During the time at Westkirk Presbyterian Church, she severed in various ministries from food prep (naturally) to Deacon. She also participated in and lead several Bible studies.

She was incredibly supportive of her childrens’ endeavors from Boy Scouts to little league, Girl Scouts and Brownies to cheerleading. Always being there to help edit a short story, term paper or screenplay. It takes a special kind of strength, kindness and understanding to support a child pursuing anything in arts and entertainment.

Her strong faith and reliance on God allowed her to pray without ceasing for those around her and her perseverance in prayer also allowed her to see her children follow her and come back to the Word of God, to the faith and to the saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

She is survived by her husband, John; son, Steven; daughters, Rebecca and Jennifer (Scott) Swanson; granddaughters, Kaylin, Addison, and Alainna; and sister, Laima Gallo of Rochester, NY. Regi was preceded in death by her parents, Stasys and Elizabeth Poskus; and brother, Vito Poskus.

A public visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 pm on Thursday, May 14 at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway in West Des Moines, IA. A private funeral service will be live-streamed from Westkirk Presbyterian Church in Urbandale, IA on Friday, May 15 at 10:00 am. A graveside service will follow at Elm Grove Cemetery in Washington, IA at 2:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to her church home, Westkirk Presbyterian Church.

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