Donna Jean Gibson Slater
Donna Slater, age 77, passed away peacefully at home, Wednesday, October 5th at 1pm, surrounded by her family.
Donna was born January 9, 1939 in Iowa City, Iowa. The only child of George O. Gibson and Doris Page Gibson, Donna grew up in Des Moines, Iowa surrounded by close family and friends. She attended Brooks Elementary, Woodrow Wilson Jr. High and she graduated from East High in Des Moines in 1957. Donna was a model and a dancer. She met the love of her life, Joe Slater, at 13 years of age. They shared fun, childhood years together skating and sledding at Grandview Park and going to dances with friends. Joe and Donna married October 23, 1959, at Grant Park Christian Church in Des Moines. They would have celebrated their 57th Anniversary this month. Joe and Donna raised their children in Des Moines for several years, where Joe was a police officer and Donna was a secretary to State Senator Lee Gaudineer at the Des Moines Capitol. She was a longtime member of Eastern Star. As Joe changed jobs with the government, they were transferred to Milwaukee, WI, Peoria, IL and Fayetteville, NC. They retired to the mountains in Penrose in 1992. Donna made lifelong friends wherever she went and she was loved by all who knew her. She was a volunteer for Safe in Brevard and an avid sports fan. Her favorite teams were The Green Bay Packers, The Atlanta Braves, and The Wolf Pack. She loved crafts, playing the piano & being with her family. Donna was a wonderful mother and wife and best friend to Shelley, Eric & Brenda and her grandchildren & great grandchildren. She will be missed every day.
Donna is survived by her husband of 56 years, Joe H. Slater of Penrose, their children, Shelley Eubanks (Lloyd) of Lake Toxaway, Eric Slater (Teresa) of Mills River, and Brenda Slater of Penrose. Donna is also survived by their grandchildren, Erica Slater of Coco, FL, Josh Robbins (Amanda) of Nashville, TN, Joseph Mangiapane (Nikeyta) of Penrose, Emily Worley (Bow) of Brevard, Aaron Troutman (Chelsea) of Mills River, Adam Troutman of Charleston, SC, great grandchildren, Chloe Thomason and Sawyer Troutman and many nieces, nephews and cousins. Donna was preceded in death by her parents and her beloved grandson Robert J. Slater.
A memorial service will be held in her honor at 6:00pm, Tuesday, October 11, 2016 at Moody-Connolly Chapel in Brevard.