1945
2017
Donna Rae Chase died on Sunday, February 12, 2017, in Phoenix, Arizona. She was 71 years old. She had been ill for several years. Although she didn't talk about it much, the hardest part of her extended illness was that it prevented her from spending more time with her beloved family and friends. Family, friends, animals, swimming and travel were her favorite things in life. Her least favorite included house cleaning, getting up early and calls from bill collectors.
Donna spent most of her life in the Los Angeles area and Salt Lake City. She was born in Montebello, California on November 28, 1945. Her name was originally Tauna, but she changed it to Donna after being teased by her classmates.
Donna held various jobs during her life, including working in her grandmother's pet shop, as a secretary at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (where she met and married Donald Amos Chase in 1969) and as a legal assistant. She always loved children, however, so after 10 years of work she went back to college and obtained a teaching degree.
Donna mostly taught in elementary schools and worked closely with inner city immigrant kids, primarily from Latin America. She had a real love for these working class kids and their rich culture that emphasized hard work and family.
When Donna retired from teaching in Salt Lake, she joined the Red Hat Society. She loved this group of ladies who, like her, had given their all to their families, careers and communities, but in in their golden years banded together to re-establish their friendships with similar women. Their mission was simple: Have some fun together and enjoy life. The big smiles in the photos of them together tell it all.
Aside from family and friends, Donna loved to travel any chance she got. She loved to explore the United States in a camper and made multiple trips to Europe. She even spent a few weeks in Japan on a remote farm. Her last international trip was to the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, where she luxuriated for many hours a day in an enormous pool underneath palm trees and laughing with Brian and Dasha.
Donna is survived by her four children, Honey, Mary, James and Brian, and numerous grandchildren. Her husband, Donald, preceded her by 11 years. She is sorely missed by her family, her many friends and the Red Hatters.
A memorial service will be held Sunday, June 11, 2017 at 3:00 pm at Wasatch Lawn Mortuary, 3401 Highland Drive, Salt Lake City, Utah 84106.
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