Donna Rae Summerfield, 84, passed away in Gresham, Oregon, on March 11, 2018. She was born on July 23, 1933 in St. Helens to her parents: Chester and Rita (Masten) Gillihan. Donna attended St. Helens High school, and graduated in 1951.
Donna went to work for the Bell Telephone Company from 1951 until 1953. On September 5, 1953 she married her High School Sweetheart Elmer Lee Summerfield at St. Fredericks Church in St. Helens. In 1955, the couple moved to Gresham, where they raised their children. Donna worked as a bookkeeper at the Glass Butterfly in Gresham from 1977 until she retired in 1988. In 1989, Elmer and Donna moved to Seaside, where they lived until they moved back to Gresham in 2009.
Donna attended St. Henry Catholic Church in Gresham while the family lived here. She served in the Altar Society and as a Sunday School Teacher. When she moved to Seaside, she attended Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, where she was also very involved. Donna’s faith was very important to her, and her love for people, acceptance of others and positive attitude was a reflection of her faith. Donna also served as the First Lady (Mayor’s Wife) from 1977-1978, and that was a position that she was very proud of. She recently had an opportunity to attend the Sister City Reception, where she was greatly honored for her time served as the First Lady.
Donna loved to garden, and she had a “green thumb”. She was a talented quilter and seamstress as well. She loved to dress up and have her hair done, and she greatly enjoyed the trips that she took during her retirement. Among her favorite places to visit were Hawaii, Japan and Ireland. She enjoyed spending time with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, and she had a way of making each member of her family feel like they were her favorite person in the world. She loved and made an impact until the end, even when she was in pain. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.
Donna was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Chester, and her husband Elmer Lee, who passed in 2016. She is survived by her children and their spouses, Julie Willey (Dan), Linda Summerfield, Amy Hill (John), Terry Summerfield (Jeannine), and John Summerfield (Dena), as well as two sisters, Thea Fae Keilly and Chiquita “Chee Chee” Fish; 14 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, March 20, 2018, at 11:00 am at St. Henry Church in Gresham, with a Committal Service following at 2:00 pm, where Donna will be laid to rest with Elmer at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Gresham.
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