Obituary of Donna Jean Whittaker

Donna Jean Whittaker, a lifelong resident of Olympia, passed on to her heavenly home on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2021.  She was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, daughter and sister. 

 

Donna was married over 60 years to her husband Lester.  They met at the local skating rink when he accidentally spilled the change from his pocket on the skating rink floor and she helped him pick it up. 

 

Donna loved spending time with her family, playing pinochle, going to the beach, watching movies, listening to music, studying the Bible with friends, and just spending time working in her yard and being outside.  She loved watching Gunsmoke with Lester in her later years, and then enjoyed watching it with her daughter and grandsons as well.  They would make up Gunsmoke quizzes at the dinner table and would laugh at how well everyone remembered the episodes. 

 

She often had a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye, especially when playing with her grandchildren or cards with her family.  Donna spent the majority of her career as a Fiscal Analyst at The Evergreen State College from 1971 to 1993 when she retired.  She enjoyed working with staff and students in the Lab 1 Building, and made several very close friendships from her time there. 

 

Donna is preceded in death by husband, Lester Whittaker; daughter, Sandra Whittaker Greenway; parents, Donald Meurs and Avalon Thornton Meurs Levesque; and brother, Jerry. Donna is survived by daughters, Lynn Whittaker Sodergren and husband, David (grandchildren Dakota and Hannah), Kathy Whittaker Knoedler and husband, Darrell (grandchildren Kyle and Zach); granddaughter, Taylor Greenway Glascock and husband, Jeff (great-grandchildren, Samuel and Delaney). 

 

Heaven has gained a kind, loving, and giving soul. 

 

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