Donna Marie Tweeten

Donna Tweeten of West Des Moines, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, surrounded by her family.

Donna Marie Kubis was born in Chicago on January 31, 1963. The daughter of Marlene and John Kubis, she grew up in Broadview, Illinois with her parents and older brother, Jeff.

Donna graduated from Proviso East High School in 1981, where she formed many lifelong friendships and was a four-year varsity volleyball, basketball, and softball athlete, class vice president, and school newspaper editor. She then attended Drake University, despite being told by a dean before admission that he “didn’t think she was Drake material.” Boy did she prove him wrong. She graduated in 1985 with a journalism and mass communications degree and majors in broadcast news, radio & television, and English, as well as minors in political science and sociology. At Drake, she hosted her own radio show and launched the Drake Broadcast System, which still exists today. She described her decision to attend Drake as one of the best decisions of her life.

She began her career in broadcast journalism at WHO Radio as an overnight control board operator, then moved to Anderson Howe, which later became The Meyocks Group. She then worked at Davis Harrison Dion in Chicago before returning to Des Moines to lead Meyocks’ video production team. After Hy-Vee acquired Meyocks in 1994, she continued working on the Hy-Vee business and rose through the ranks to become the agency’s president and chief creative officer in 2002.

Donna joined Hy-Vee in 2006 as assistant vice president of communications and later served in several influential roles, including Chief Customer Officer, Chief Merchandising Officer, Chief Marketing Officer, and Chief of Staff. Most recently, Donna served as president of Hy-Vee and was the first woman in the company’s history to hold this role. During her tenure at Hy-Vee, she guided the company’s brand and image strategy and has been credited by other Hy-Vee leaders with having more impact on the company’s marketing than anyone in its history. Under her leadership, Hy-Vee became the first retailer to sign a name, image, and likeness contract with Caitlin Clark, as well as sign partnerships with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and U.S. Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson East. Throughout her career, she served as an innovator, trailblazer and creative thinker in nearly every aspect of Hy-Vee’s operations. Donna has been nationally recognized across the advertising and retail industries for her work, including being named a Champion of Change by ADWEEK; a Leading Women Forward recipient by Ad Age; and receiving Mass Market Retailers' Lifetime Achievement Award, among many others. She mentored dozens of leaders throughout her career and helped elevate many women across the organization. She retired from Hy-Vee on January 24, 2025, but she remained as a consultant for the company, continuing to work on special projects and marketing initiatives. There’s no doubt that her influence will be felt across Hy-Vee for decades to come.

Donna was many things to many people. She was a daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, colleague, client, mentor and confidant. She was a brilliant marketer. A great storyteller. And someone you always wanted on your team and in your corner. She was kind and generous, with a warmth and genuineness that was difficult to explain but easy to feel in her presence. She took the time to listen and to help and regularly gave of her time, volunteering on numerous professional boards over the years. She was also an incredible public speaker, even though she’d tell you she hated it. She loved movies and pop culture. She was a huge Chicago sports fan. A lover of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Indiana Fever. A red wine aficionado. And she was, quite possibly, the world’s biggest Taylor Swift fan, attending twelve Eras Tour shows. She could often be found sitting on her patio, glass of wine in hand, listening to a Taylor Swift album. Donna had a magnetic personality and was someone people gravitated to and wanted to be around. Donna lived big, loved big, and was always up for fun. She was selfless and an amazing friend to many. While she will be greatly missed, she leaves behind a legacy of love and true connection.

Donna’s pride and joy was her family. She met the love of her life, Alan Tweeten, through friends who were initially skeptical about introducing them in case it didn’t work out. Alan was a farm boy from Lake Mills, Iowa, and Donna described him as the country mouse to her city mouse. They married on August 6, 1994, and built a beautiful life together. Donna took instantly to being a stepmother to their oldest daughter, Carlie. They soon welcomed their first son, Nicholas, on their anniversary in 1996, with the births of Benjamin and Maxwell soon following. They were later blessed to welcome their youngest daughter, Ella. Donna believed her children were her greatest accomplishment.

Donna was the backbone of the Tweeten family. She loved camping with friends and family and taking an annual beach vacation with Alan and the kids. She was a wonderful host, the best cook, and greatly enjoyed having large family holidays at her home. She was also fiercely competitive and regularly dominated at family game nights, so it’s no surprise that her family considered themselves lucky if they were on her team because they knew they’d probably win. Donna recently designed, built, and decorated her dream home, which is an incredible space her family and friends will enjoy in her honor for years to come.

Donna is survived by her mother, Marlene Kubis; her husband, Alan Tweeten; her five children: Carlie (Zeth) Tovrea, Nicholas Tweeten (Morgan Seemuth), Benjamin Tweeten (Claire Schendl), Maxwell Tweeten, and Ella Tweeten (Sophia Quilty); her three grandchildren: Vayda, Sage, and Knox Tovrea; her brother, Jeff Kubis (Jamie Kravitz); her cousins, Debra Kropornicki, Dawn Norman, and Dyan Zakovec; brothers-and sisters-in-law; nieces and nephews; and many close friends. She was preceded in death by her father, John Kubis; and her cousin, James Zakovec.

Nine months before her Stage IV pancreatic cancer diagnosis, Donna became heavily involved with and passionate about fundraising for Cancer Screen Iowa, a statewide initiative that works to improve early cancer detection by increasing screening awareness, access, and participation. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Cancer Screen Iowa in Donna’s memory by visiting https://www.cancerscreeniowa.com/get-involved.html#donate.

A visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Ron Pearson Center at the Hy-Vee Corporate Office located at 5820 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines. A funeral service will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Lutheran Church of Hope located at 925 Jordan Creek Parkway, West Des Moines, with a celebration of life reception to follow. A private burial will take place afterward.

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