Obituary of Donna Mae Perry

Donna Perry, 80, of Boise, Idaho, peacefully passed away on March 27, 2024. Donna was born on December 6, 1943, to John and Ethel Scott in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, however her early years were spent in Ovid, Colorado. Her parents lost a son, Donald, to Leukemia when he was 13 years old. Encouraged by their doctor to have another child even though their 3 boys were already young teenagers, Donna was born the only girl and was named in memory of the brother she never met. When her youngest brother, Glen, was a senior in high school, he had to take his sister to kindergarten and watch her after school, even taking her on afternoon hunting trips. She also spent time helping her father, who ran the local stock yard until he retired when she was a teenager, and they moved to Boise.

While in high school, she started dating David Perry. She and David dated casually for several months until one Sunday night, after church she wanted to go bowling with the college kids. Heading towards the ministry, David didn't want to go to the bowling alley because they sold alcohol, but Donna wanted to go. He loaned his car to one of his friends to take her bowling, and well, that friend started dating her for a few months. A year later, Donna and Dave rekindled and within the year were married, just a few months after she graduated from Boise High School in 1962.

The next summer, they became house parents of the “Big Boy’s House” at the Christian Children's Home on 36^th Street in Boise. In the fall of 1964, they moved to Iron Mountain, Michigan, where their first son, Jonathan, was born. In 1965, they moved to Lincoln, Illinois, so that David could attend graduate school, then on to Milton, Illinois, where David pastored a church for the next three years. Their son, Robert, was born in 1967.

Dave and Donna bought their first house in Jacksonville, Illinois, in 1970, and soon after, they found out that Donna was pregnant again. As Donna went into labor, the doctor realized that she had severe hepatitis, and unfortunately, Kimberly Dawn was stillborn. Donna was ambulanced to St. Louis where she went into fourth stage hepatic coma. The doctors were ready to pronounce her dead, but the top doctor at the medical college started working with her, and she was able to recover. She spoke of her baby girl for the rest of her life.

The fall of 1971, they moved to Bourbonnais, Illinois, when David became the head chaplain of Manteno State Mental Hospital. Donna was a busy mom who also played the organ occasionally at church and learned to reupholster furniture.

In 1974, they moved the family back to Boise to be near their family. Donna and Jonathan started doing a 50-mile newspaper route together. Donna then took over as a supervisor for the paper carriers and she excelled.

In 1988, after both boys were out of the house, Donna was offered the position of Director of Circulation at the West Contra Costa Times in Richmond, California. David said that since they had spent the first half of their marriage following his career, it was only fair to spend the next half following her career. For the next few years, she would work as Circulation director of The Times, The Appeal Democrat in Yuba City, California, and Yakima Herald in Yakima, Washington. After leaving Yakima, they moved back to Yuba City, and Donna became the church administrator for St. Andrews Presbyterian Church. At this time, they were blessed to have son, Rob and Lynn along with their children living with them.

 Once again, they worked with children by running a foster home for teen girls. They would eventually take guardianship of two girls, Joanna Randolph and Jennifer Sanderson. But they loved all the girls who came through their home. Many girls remember them fondly, including Marge, who took the time to come visit Donna along with Jenni in 2022.

In 2015, Dave and Donna fully retired and moved back to Boise to 36^th Street and what had formerly been the Children’s home. Now it was the Boise Christian Retirement Home, or “The Village”.  

Besides Kimberly and all of her original family, Donna suffered many losses: After 55 years of marriage, David passed away in 2017, followed quickly by her daughter-in-law, Lynn in 2018, and then her son, Robert, passed away in 2020. Donna moved in with Jonathan and his wife, Lisa, in the summer of 2023, where she spent the last few months watching the birds and enjoying the time with her friends and family.  Through it all, her smile always lit up the room.

She is survived by her son, Jonathan (Lisa); and six direct grandchildren: Ian, Sasha, and Mason, Jewels (Decker), Theo (Zach), Daniel, and Grace (Gavin). As well as many nephews and nieces. Her girls: Joanna, and Jennifer (Caleb) gave her: Jackson, Dean and Cash. She was also Nana Donna, for her step-grandchildren: Jeremiah (Kellie), and Benji. She enjoyed being Nana Donna to the step great-grands: Levi and Claire.

Donna touched the lives of so many people, both children in need as well as friends and family, and was well loved in return.

 Services will be held at Ten Mile Christian Church on April 26, 2024 at 1:00pm.