Dona Darlene King

Dona’s family moved to Sun Valley, California when she was young and she graduated from Pasadena High School in 1950. During high school, a friend introduced Dona to Sam King and they were married the day after her 18th birthday. They moved to Sam’s organic fruit ranch in Fallbrook where they lived, worked, and raised three children until the early 70s when they sold the ranch and moved to a home in town. Dona had gone full circle from a city-raised girl to a farmer’s wife, becoming a mother and then to, yet again, living in town.

Two sons, Tom and Jim, and a daughter, Cathy, survive Dona. She also has one granddaughter, four grandsons, 3 great grandsons and 4 great granddaughters.

Dona and Sam were members of the Fallbrook Methodist Church for decades and the custodians for that church for well over a decade. They were very active in Farm Bureau too. Dona was also the secretary for the Fallbrook Riders Club for a while and both she and Sam were very active in supporting their children’s passion of riding, and showing horses.

Dona was a very good seamstress and made most of her children’s clothes and even sewed for others. She also upholstered furniture. Those who knew Dona know how she was always willing to help where it was needed which included taking care of her parents and in-laws when they were alive and babysitting her grandkids when their parents went to work. The last five years of Sam’s life with Parkinson’s was in the Fallbrook Skilled Nursing Home and Dona drove over two times a day to help out and be able to feed him. After his passing in 1998 Donna continued to volunteer at this nursing home everyday until she was no long able to drive there. Dona was passionate about her family and her family was always number one on her daily thoughts and actions. The world is a better place because of Dona being here for 91 years. She will be missed.

Dona’s celebration of her life will be at Eternal Hills on January 31st at 12:00.