Donna Lynn Raskin

Donna was born on June 6, 1953, to John and Joyce Cook in Melrose Park, IL. The oldest child of five, she graduated from Crystal Lake Central, class of 1971.

In January 1983, Donna met Arthur Raskin on a Windjammer Barefoot cruise in the Dutch Caribbean. The two wed shortly thereafter in Crystal Lake on June 18, 1983. Together they raised their daughter Morgan in Colts Neck. In 1991, Donna channeled her interest in rocks, gemstones, and artistry and opened The Birds and the Beads. Over the next 25 years, the shop grew into a thriving and beloved business for the beading community. Art and Donna loved to travel - from searching for stones at bead shows, hiking in the Canadian Rockies and Swiss Alps, to cruising across the Atlantic and throughout Europe.

We are all mourning the great loss of our most loving and caring mother, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, grandma, and friend. We will always remember Donna for her quick wit, capacity to listen, eye for jewelry, love of great appetizers, and buying too many books yet still managing to read them all.

Donna is survived by her husband Arthur Raskin; daughter Morgan Raskin (Tim) Dempsey; stepdaughter Donna Raskin; stepson Peter (Paula DeStefano) Raskin; grandsons Dylan Raskin, James Kaufman, and Dallas Raskin; mother Joyce Cook; brother Steven (Danielle) Cook; brother Randall (Angila) Cook; sister Barbara Cook (Joe) Ferreira; brother David (Lisa) Cook; nephews Roger “Trip” Boretsky III and Benjamin Cook; nieces Ashley Cook and Jillian Cook; and grandnephew Sebastian Cook.

There will be no formal service at this time; we hope to hold a remembrance gathering at a future date. We ask that you please remember Donna in a way that makes you laugh (as that is undoubtedly what she would have wanted), with an act of kindness for a loved one, or by singing your favorite song out loud in the car.

The Anderson & Campbell Funeral Home, Toms River is in charge of arrangements.