Donna Jean Royce

Donna Jean Royce, longtime resident of McLean, Virginia, passed away peacefully into the light of Heaven on Thursday, February 16, 2023 just two days before her 87th birthday. She is mercifully at rest after a long struggle with Parkinson’s Disease.

A native of Petoskey, Michigan, Donna graduated from the first class of St. Francis Xavier High School in 1954 and received her Bachelor of Arts, from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1958. She went on to do graduate work at Michigan State University where she met her future husband William Allan “Al” Royce. The couple married in Lansing, Michigan in October,1964, lived and worked in Grand Rapids, Michigan before moving to Minneapolis, Minnesota and then ultimately settling in McLean, Virginia in February, 1968. Donna is survived by her beloved husband, Allan, of 58 years, and three daughters; Rochelle (Scott Courtney), Lara (William Bryson), and Jeannemarie Royce.

Fun-loving grandmother to Madeline, Jonathan and Sam Courtney; and Clyde, Royce and Andrew Bryson, Donna, affectionately known as Grandma Nana, always was ready for an adventure with her grandchildren. Year round, Donna attended countless football, soccer, lacrosse, swimming, and winter guard matches. Her grandchildren remember that she was their loudest cheerleader on the sidelines making them feel heroic!

Having a lifelong passion for the French language and culture, Donna loved teaching French at the middle school and high school levels, and was a frequent participant in french current events and book discussions at the Alliance Française in Washington, DC. She loved traveling to Paris with Allan, navigating through most of the city with Allan speaking no French following the map and Donna translating with no sense of direction. They frequented their favorite areas such as Monte Marte, the Left and Right Bank, Jardin de Luxembourg, the Louvre and Musée D'orsay, and enjoyed gazing over the rooftops of Paris from a friend’s flat. On trips beyond Paris they visited Chartres, Versailles, Aix en Provence, Marseille, Arles, Nimes, Avignon, and traced the life of Vincent Van Gogh in France to his final days and burial in Auvers-sur-Oise.

Donna was a longtime member of the Women’s Club of McLean; one of her favorite activities was decorating and hosting local residences on the club’s annual Holiday Homes Tour. She also was an active member in the Greater McLean Republican Women’s Club.

Donna is predeceased by her parents, Warren A. and Regina F. Locke (Fettig); and siblings Bill, Karen, and Mary Ellen. She is survived by siblings Ron, June (Castle), and Warren.

A Celebration of Life will be held Friday, March 31, 2023 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Murphy Funeral Home, 1102 W. Broad Street, Falls Church, Virginia 22046. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held for Donna on Saturday, April 1, 2023 at 11 a.m. with a buffet luncheon reception immediately following the service at Saint Luke Catholic Church, 7001 Georgetown Pike, McLean, Virginia, 22101.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Paragon Assisted Living, LLC, 6704 Old McLean Village Drive, Suite 200, McLean, VA 22101. Allan and his daughters give their everlasting, heartfelt thanks to Fannie Halton, Administrator and Partner; Juan Tuason, President and Managing Partner; and the dedicated, loving staff at Paragon’s The Potomac House II:  Suleyma,  Marilyn,  Sharon,  Sonia, Teresa, Rossy, Ana, Gus, Patrick, and Sheku.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.murphy-fh.com for the Royce family.