Donna B. Vereen

Donna was born to Herman and Wilma Austin on November 24, 1943 in LaGrange, Texas. Her father was in the Army so Donna, her parents, and her younger sister, Sandy, moved frequently and experienced living in various parts of the world, including Texas, Wyoming, Alaska, and Japan. Donna graduated from Kubasaki High School in Okinawa, Japan in 1962 before attending beauty school in Milwaukee. As an adult, Donna worked for Harris Semiconductor in Florida where she met the love of her life, William “Bill” Vereen. The two were married in August of 1974 and they shared three daughters together. In 1979, Donna and Bill moved their family to Austin, Texas where she stepped into her role of stay-at-home mom and homemaker, and later, Granny. In the early 2000s, Donna briefly came out of retirement to facilitate an infant daycare in her home. She loved each of the babies and families in her care who affectionately referred to her as “Granny D.”

Donna was exceedingly creative and enjoyed outlets such as writing poetry, painting, and sewing. She also had an impressive eye for decorating and changed the décor in her home frequently and in accordance with the seasons. Donna loved her family and was incredibly devoted in her roles as wife, mother, and grandmother. She prioritized making memories with her children and grandchildren and was always the first to volunteer to help with a project, whether it was an assignment for school or just for fun. Donna was a cancer warrior who inspired those around her with her tenacity and determination to overcome even the toughest of obstacles, which she did time and time again. While she would have had every reason to be down, it was usually Donna who was lifting others’ spirits and making them laugh. During her numerous doctor’s office visits and hospitalizations, Donna called herself “the entertainment” and went out of her way to make people smile with jokes and a light heart.

Donna is survived by her sister, Sandra Austin of WY; daughters and son-in-law: Victoria Moody of GA, Michelle Wise of Austin, Katherine Vereen and Daniel Martinez of San Antonio; grandchildren: Alison Wise and Macy Wise of Austin, Shaun Murphy and family of Cedar Creek, Travis Farris and family, Kasey Farris, and Tyler Farris and family of Georgia; and five great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her father, Herman Austin, her mother, Wilma Austin, and her husband, William Vereen.

Donna will be lovingly remembered and greatly missed by her family and all who knew her.

The family of Donna Vereen would like to extend our sincerest gratitude to the medical professionals who treated Donna over the last several years. This includes Dr. Punit Chadha and staff at Texas Oncology, Dr. Norman Risinger and staff at Austin Heart, Dr. Deepti Kapadia, Radhika Nayak, RN, MSN, FNP at Austin Palliative Care, the entire team of nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists with Texas Home Health, and Hospice Austin. We are deeply appreciative of each of you and the care and compassion that you provided for Donna.