Donna Jane Glidewell

Donna Jane Glidewell (August 25, 1934–August 19, 2024), most recently of Mill Creek, WA (near Everett), passed away peacefully after a long illness, less than a week from her 90th birthday.

Donna was born in Pittsburgh, Kansas, to Armond Stewart and Blanche Bold Glidewell. The family spent many years in Winslow, Arizona, where her parents ran a local jewelry store in the historic Rialto theater building. From 1946 to her graduation in 1951, Donna attended Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, which was then a Presbyterian boarding school. There she met Glen Rice (1932–2024) of Salt Lake City, whom she married in 1952. The couple raised four children, Ronald, Katheryn, Robert (who predeceased her in 2018) and Richard Rice. At the time of her death, she had eight grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.

Donna briefly studied journalism at Colorado Women’s College (1951–52) and later music at the University of Utah (1961–62) and the University of Washington (1963–64). She received a BS in Business Administration from City University of Seattle, where she majored in Accounting. She spent several years during the 1970s as CFO of Universal Manufacturing in Woodinville, WA. Other accounting and management positions included Application Specialist and Training Manager with the FAST Management Group of Redmond, WA; Assistant Controller with Fairfield Homes in Green Valley, AZ; and Chief Operations Officer with Woodard Homes in Porterville, CA. For these positions, she never hesitated to learn new computer systems and software.

Donna never lost her deep connection to Wasatch Academy. She was active in alumni relations, and from 1991–92 served as Director of Alumni Affairs. She returned to campus frequently over the years and became the acknowledged expert on Wasatch Academy history. In 2003 she fulfilled a dream from her student days when she wrote It Endures Like The Wasatch Mountains: The History of Wasatch Academy, chronicling the early history of the school and its founder, Duncan McMillan. She followed this effort in 2016 with Wasatch Academy: The Story Continues. She spearheaded the effort to remodel the original school building into the school’s museum, which she curated from 2001–16. Toward the end of her tenure, she was awarded the school’s Distinguished Alumna Award, which she treasured.

Donna was known for her frequent moves, as well as her many house beautification projects. In her early years she was an avid singer, pianist, and violinist, playing instruments built by her grandfather (now part of the collection of Wasatch Academy’s music department). She leaves several dear friends in Arizona, Utah, California, and Washington.

Memorial gifts may be made to Wasatch Academy, Mount Pleasant, UT.