Donna Lynn McLavey

Our kind and loving Donna, our Wife, Mother, Grandmother and Friend, moved home to be with Jesus on January 25th, 2019, at 68 years of age. Cancer began a fight with her four years prior, but she triumphed by ending the fight with grace, dignity, and courage. Even as we miss her, we celebrate with her as she goes on to a life so full of joy that there is no room for pain or tears.

Donna is survived by her loving husband of 49 years, Mickey; her daughter, Tammy (married to Peter) Schneidler; her grandchildren, Claire and Jonathan; her brother, Martin (married to Margie) Campbell; as well as many nieces and nephews, including Barbara (married to Garry) Wells, Don (married to Renee) Campbell, and John Campbell.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Aletha and John Campbell; her brothers Bob Campbell and George Campbell, and her sister Katherine Barkdull.

Born in Gooding, Idaho, Donna was the beloved lastborn child of her parents. Her dad doted on his sweet little girl until his passing in 1958; her mom loved her for the both of them after that. Donna then moved with her family to the Yakima Valley, where she attended school, graduating from Toppenish High School in 1968. It was in Toppenish that she met the love of her life, Mickey. The two were married on May 29th, 1969, and after that, they shifted their lives to the west side of the mountains, where they cut hair, trained horses at Longacres, and raised their daughter.

Donna’s education, both in and out of the classroom, was full of variety. She traveled to join Mickey in Germany when he was posted there, and gave birth to Tammy in a German hospital. In 1976, shortly after coming home, she became a licensed barber with the State of Washington. She cut hair at their Salon in Mount Vernon, and later on the backside of Longacres itself, where she also helped Mickey with the horses. In 1988, Donna went to work for Boeing, where she was employed for the next 27 years. During her time there, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (2003) and an MBA in Technology Management (2007).

Donna loved creativity. She crafted, sewed, quilted, and even became an accomplished oil painter (following in the footsteps of her mama) throughout her life; in later years, she talked of writing a book. Her grandkids always found in her a kindred spirit when it came to creating and artistry.

She also loved exploring and trying new things. Whether traveling with their trailer and pets to different sites around the Northwest (sometimes with their camping club), or through books and her book club, or in culinary adventures, Donna loved to try something new. In just the past few months, she and Mickey committed themselves to becoming golfers, taking weekly lessons together. She delighted in her growth as a player, from initially hitting the ball 40 yards, to being able to send it 266 yards in her last lesson (but she was most proud of hitting the ball just as far as her husband!).

Most of all, Donna loved people. Her life was filled with friends, and she treated those she knew like they were a little bit golden. People who knew her received her kindness and her genuine interest in them and their lives. Her smile would light up the room, but even more so it lit up the faces and hearts of those she loved: colleagues and friends from days past and present, her sisters in Beta Sigma Phi, her cancer center and hospice nurses or the clerk at the grocery store--whomever she encountered. Her friends, her family near and far, and her beloved husband, Mickey--we will all miss her dearly. And we are so grateful to have been loved by her.

A celebration of Donna’s life is planned for friends and family, to be held on Friday, February 8th, 2019, at 2:00 PM at Evergreen Funeral Home in Everett, WA.

If you would like to contribute memories or photos of Donna, the family would like to read them. Please sign her online Guest Book at https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/everett-wa/donna-mclavey-8141850