Donna May Chandler

Donna May Chandler

She is more than a name, she is a legend.  A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend.

She was born June 19, 1947 in Washington DC to her parents Helen and Herbert.  Donna and her mom moved out west where she grew up in Southern California.  She met the man of her dreams at a breakfast table and married young at 16 to her husband of 54 years, Don Chandler.

As an only child she wanted to be a Mom when she grew up.  She longed for a large family and aimed for 12 kids but was blessed with 10.  There wasn’t a manual on how to raise so many children but she had the attitude that “with love anything is possible.” 

Donna and Don moved around a lot, from California to Kentucky and Ohio but set down roots in Colbert in the mid-70’s and it was her forever home. 

When she wasn’t running her kids around to sporting events, she was working full time.  Donna helped support her family by working at Pathology Associates in the Purchasing Department for 28 years. 

Donna cherished her family and knew how to make everyone feel special.  You could always count on a serenade on your birthday and individual time with Mom.  Her pride in her kin was always present and she would take every opportunity to cheer about them.  She especially cherished her grandkids.  She loved their different personalities, talents, hugs and kisses.  She too was a kid at heart and could relate with her grandchildren whether through watching Disney movies, playing with toys or pulling pranks. 

She was all about enjoying life.  She enjoyed dressing up for Halloween, decorating for every holiday and having her family around her for any special occasion.  She was creative and enjoyed crafting.  She was known for her long white beautiful hair, long finger nails and her love of collecting Coca-Cola memorabilia.

Donna was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She had made many friends there over the years.  She was sealed to her family for Time and All Eternity in Alberta, Canada. 

She was a lover of animals.  She had the ability to talk to the animals, or so she thought.  The deer and squirrels that visited her daily will miss her delicious treats and daily conversations. 

To call Donna a sports fan is an understatement.  Not only did she watch sports she played sports, even playing tackle football 10 weeks after her 5th child was born in a Momma bowl league.  She loved the fact that her kids and grandkids participated and excelled at sports and took every opportunity to watch them compete.  During football season you would find her cheering on the Seahawks.  Baseball season she was rooting for the Mariners and Basketball season, it was Gonzaga. 

Donna found out she had bird fancier lung from an allergy to her pet dove, Coo that she had for over 20 years, as a result she developed Pulmonary Fibrosis which caused difficulty breathing and the need for supplemental oxygen.  She was a fighter and kept up her battle longer than most are able.  Donna lost her fight with Pulmonary Fibrosis on Saturday January, 20th.  She was in her home surrounded by her loving family as she had always wanted.

Her legacy continues with her family; husband Don Chandler and children: Gary Chandler(Angela), Toni Hoke(Brian), Kelly Roach(Doug), Kyle Chandler(Shelly), Amber Snyder(Erik), Autumn Dunsmoor(Joe), Beau Chandler(Amanda), Nichole Chandler(Dave), Summer Allen and David Chandler(Stephanie) and her 23 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild with two on the way.

Hon, Mom, Grandma, Grammy and Mimi, We love you More…             

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 27, 2018 at the LDS Church at 5302 E. Greenbluff Rd Colbert, WA 99005 at 10:00am. 

A Celebration of life will be held at the church at 2:00pm. She will be laid to rest at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.

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