Longtime doctor with Mille Lacs area hospital killed by hit-and-run driver while walking her dogs

A small-town doctor walking her dogs near her home along a central Minnesota highway was struck and killed by a driver who left the scene, officials said Tuesday.

The hit-and-run crash occurred about 4:50 p.m. Monday on Hwy. 169 about halfway between Vineland and Onamia near the southern shore of Lake Mille Lacs, the State Patrol said.

Cathy Ann Donovan, 56, and her dogs were walking along the highway near her home when she was struck by a northbound driver, the patrol said. She died at the scene, according to the patrol and the Mille Lacs County Sheriff's Office.

One of her dogs did not survive the crash, while the other was not hurt, the Sheriff's Office said.

The driver left the scene, and the patrol has yet to release any description of the vehicle that hit Donovan.

"We do not have a description of the vehicle involved at this time and are seeking the public's help," said Sheriff Kyle Burton. "The vehicle will likely have heavy front-end damage."

Burton said his office is asking for anyone with information about the crash to call the tip line at 320-983-8346 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

Donovan was a doctor for the past 27 years with Mille Lacs Health System in Onamia, said hospital spokeswoman Marilyn Phillips.

"She was a strong and compassionate leader and Family Medicine Practice physician and everyone at the health system grieves her loss today," the Mille Lacs system said on its website. "Mille Lacs Health System is contacting patients of Dr. Donovan to offer continuity of care during this difficult time."

Dr. Arden Virnig and his wife, Dr. Patti Hook, not only have worked with Donovan since she joined the hospital, she also was their neighbor along the same highway where she was hit.

"She loved the broad spectrum of care she could provide here from newborns to geriatrics," Virnig said. "When many people chose to step away from medicine when the pandemic hit, Cathy dug in her heels and fought it tooth and nail. We are heartbroken with her loss."

Donovan was "the biggest softy for rescue dogs that I have ever seen," Virnig said. Her foxhound Sunny had to be euthanized, while her Husky mix Flash ran from the crash scene only to return home the next day.

Donovan was a mother of two children, now adults, whom she adopted from China, Virnig said, and "she also abided by her vow to raise them with cultural roots. This included speaking Chinese."

Donovan attended Medical School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She served as vice chief of staff at Mille Lacs Health System and as medical director of its Clinics, the health system said.

"Her greatest treasures were her children, and she doted on her many rescue dogs and family cats," the website said. She was also active in her church.