Eva Lehnertz was born on March 29, 1902, to Theodore and Katherine Mossen Lehnertz, the 3rd in a family of 11 children, in the village of Zemmer bei Trier on the banks of the Mosel River in the German Rheinland, a place where faith and religion were deeply embedded in the lives of the people. Having been born on Good Friday and baptized on Easter Sunday, she was destined, for 91 years, to share fully in the Paschal Mystery with Christ through the liturgy of her own life. Her father, who worked in a factory, was also organist and choir director for the parish. Frequently in the evening the choir members practiced in her home. 

From early youth, she had a deep desire for religious life, and readily received her parent’s approval. However, the World War left convents in Germany destitute and so they required a big dowry. Eva admitted that she would lay awake at nights, praying and longing. Her pastor, while on vacation, met Sr. M .Bernard Willman from Clyde, Missouri, USA, on a train in Germany, on one of her vocation journeys. When he asked Eva if she would consider going to a convent in America, at first she was aghast at the idea of going so far away, but after three years, plans were made for her trip to America. She entered at Clyde on November 21, 1925.

While still a novice, she found that her long knee-length hair braids were not practical under the veil, so she asked permission from Mother Dolorosa to have them cut off. At first Profession, on September 3, 1926, she received the name Sr. M. Donata. Perpetual profession was on September 27, 1932.

While a novice she worked in the bookbindery, and then after Profession, for about 13 years, she worked in the laundry, a big task which included laundry for the monastery and the college students. She then returned to the bookbindery task where sets of 350 volumes of office books and hymnals were stitched and bound, painstaking and time consuming labor. 

In 1957 Sr. M. Donata moved to our Kansas City monastery with the bookbindery work. The skill in her hands was as strong and gentle as the faith and love in her whole being. When not doing the laborious task of bookbinding, her favorite hobby was knitting sweaters and shawls. Many of the Sisters also remember the "gift" of hand-sewn numbers that she lovingly and carefully stitched for our use on cucullas, habits, and mantles. When the bookbindery was discontinued, Sister served the community as refectorian, by mending clothes, and then became like a "guardian angel" for Sr. M. Armella. Whatever she did was done with perfection, and with prayer. It was a common sight to see the rosary carried in her hand as she moved from place to place and from one task to another. For years she faithfully kept night adoration from 4:00 - 5:00 AM.

Sr. M. Donata lived in our Clyde, Tucson and Kansas City monasteries. Because of her mastoid surgery of years past, she suffered much from headaches and sensitivity to noise when the sound level in a room was disturbing. Although this made it difficult for her to share in group recreation experiences, her loving and caring presence in community was always enjoyed and valued. In 1975 she moved from Kansas City back to Clyde. 

She moved to St. Louis in November 1982 to become a member of the Health Care community. For the last six years of her life she was bedfast. Our dear Sr. M. Donata Lehnertz died peacefully at 9 a.m. on February 26, 1993. Srs. Karen, Gladys and Paula were with her during those final moments of her passage into eternal life, while the community was at Mass.

Funeral liturgy was celebrated in our St. Louis monastery chapel on March 1, 1993 with burial at Mt. Calvary cemetery in Clyde the following day.