Donna Lucille (Bailey) White of Deersville, Ohio, passed away on Friday, June 19, 2020 at Union Hospital in Dover, Ohio. Born June 16 1935 in Shanesville (Sugarcreek), Ohio, she was the daughter of the late Oliver Bailey and Opal (Shaffer) Bailey.
Donna was a resident of Deersville since 2003, having previously resided in Lakewood and Streetsboro, Ohio. Following her graduation from Dover High School in 1953, she was employed at the Warner & Swasey/Gradall corporate office in Cleveland. She retired from the Davey Tree Expert Company’s corporate office in Kent, Ohio in 2000.
During her child-rearing years, she was a reporter for the Record-News and Tribune Gazette newspapers. She and her late husband, Robert, were co-owners of the Tribune Gazette where she was involved in every aspect of producing the paper. She loved meeting new people and enjoyed the party-plan business such as Tupperware, Longaberger, Home and Garden, Clothing, and Jewelry parties. She and Robert owned and operated the Corner Store in Deersville for several years during the late 1970s.
The time she spent as Cub Scout Den Mother and Girl Scout leader were very dear to her heart. In her later years, she especially enjoyed her pen pal relationship with a young man and his family in England that began when he was ten years old.
On December 24, 1952, she and her high school sweetheart, Robert White, were married. He passed away in July 2014 after having been married for 61 ½ years. They are survived by their three children, Robert Kelly (Elaine) White, Shannon White, Erin White (Mike Lauer); grandchildren Michael Broska, Lindsey Broska, Carrie (Derek) Kolligian, and Rhiannon White; and precious great-grandson, Noah Cline.
She was preceded in death by siblings Lois Jean, Jay, Doraine, Jimmy, Ronnie, Arthur (Bud), and Tiny Joy. Surviving siblings are Mary Ann, Pam, and Deanna Kay as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
She especially wished to acknowledge her grandmother, Mary Shaffer Ebert, step-grandfather, Carl Ebert, and aunt, Esther (Shaffer) Arnold, who reared her with much love; and cousin, Oneida Kirschman, who was her close companion and comfort during her final years.
In accordance with her wishes, Donna has been cremated without a public visitation. She will be interred in Evergreen Cemetery in Streetsboro. In lieu of flowers, Donna requested that donations be made to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society at nationalmssociety.org/Donate.