Donna Scase Huling

A mother’s life continues through the people she loved, in the values she taught, the memories she created, and the countless little pieces of herself that remain in her children and grandchildren. In this way, Donna will remain in us.

Donna was born to Carl and Catherine Scase in Wellsboro, PA, a town she loved and returned to frequently for visits with family and classmates. She thought she had won the life lottery after she moved to New York and met her beloved husband and had three happy daughters, followed by grandchildren who often visited. In fact, her family knew they had a prize in her, a beautiful and kind Mary Poppins type of mother. In a time before Martha Stewart was a cultural icon, Donna baked her own biscuits and pies from scratch, restored antiques, knitted sweaters, sewed clothes, and grew her own organic tomatoes. To her adoring grandchildren, she will always be "Dee," who read them books by Thornton W. Burgess from the porch swing as they looked out on her backyard forest. She taught them to make apple pies, look for herons and foxes by the creek, and to carry unwelcome snakes and insects out of the house.

Dee was keen to always make things nice for people, and showed love through acts of personal service and hospitality. In her fine attention to detail, her family and any houseguests would be tucked into crispy ironed sheets, would eat off well-polished silver, be full from beautiful meals served at a fully set dining table, etc. Her high standards were set by example and never by imposition.

Continually focused on routine and health, Dee went to Results Fitness in Alexandria twice a week for a body pump class. In recent years, the staff and her workout friends would thoughtfully set up her equipment space for her. Even though she and John travelled frequently, she was always joyfully surprised at her opportunities to see the world and embraced every plane ride or car tour. She brought much the same gratitude to the rest of her life, from her daily walks through the neighborhood to a new Camelia bloom in her beautiful garden, she carried a pure wonderment about the natural world.

Donna married into the Navy and worked as a legal secretary in Old Town, Alexandria until her retirement. As in all of her life roles, she attended these with joy and dedication.

Donna is survived by her husband, John, daughters Amy Huling Schilling (John), Leslie Myers and Susan Huling, grandchildren John “Jack” Atkins, Abigail Schilling Dickmeyer (Jason), Henry Atkins (Sheena), Madeleine Schilling and Maximillian Atkins (Paola), and great-granddaughter Juliet Atkins. She is also survived by a sister, Deborah Scase Dexter (Ron) and numerous beloved nieces, nephews and cousins with whom she grew up in Pennsylvania.

A memorial service will be held at Demaine's Funeral Parlor in Old Town Alexandria on November 14th.