

She was born in Newport, Texas on February 9, 1933 and moved to La Porte with her family at the age of 10. Donella graduated from La Porte High School in May of 1951. On December 28, 1951, she married Tom Lynn Wooldridge of Fairfield, Texas, at the First Baptist Church in La Porte, Texas. They attended the church in which they married at the time of Tom’s death in 2010, and Donella attended until moving to Bastrop in 2020.
Donella worked as a La Porte ISD food service manager for 22 years. Her passions were traveling, hiking, crafts, teaching Sunday school, and playing cards with her friends. She loved being with people and never met a stranger.
Donella is survived by daughter Lynda Wooldridge, son Jerry Wooldridge, daughter in love Mary Wooldridge Collins, grandchildren Heather Cunningham (Josh), Ryan Cornelius (children Caleb, Olive), Kathryn Estes (David, son Duncan), step-grandchildren Rita Adams (Richard), Shaun Walsh (Patrick), and Jason Wooldridge, brother Gilbert Jones, and many great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband Tom Lynn Wooldridge, father Forrest Jones, mother Velma Hall Ogletree; siblings Bill Jones, Letha Triplett, Gene Robert Jones, step-son Tom Wooldridge, Jr., and grandson Phillip Anthony Wooldridge.
A Celebration of Life service for Donella will be held Saturday, September 9, 2023, at Grand View Funeral Home & Memorial Park/Bethany Cemetery, 8501 Spencer Hwy, Pasadena, TX 77505. Visitation and a slide show will be at 1:30 PM, followed by a short service at 2:00 PM.
The family respectfully requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to support research on myasthenia gravis.
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