In Loving Memory of Donna JohnsonFebruary 24, 1937 – August 11, 2013

The community mourned the loss of Donna Johnson when she passed away at the age of 76 on Sunday, Aug. 11 of a brain tumor. A kind and caring person by nature, friends and family noted that Donna was a friend to all who knew her. Her desire to nurture led her to give back to her community and to others in various ways, from having worked for 20 years with St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Rialto, to her six years as a member of Citizens for Colton First. Born in Colton on Feb. 24, 1937, Donna was a 1954 graduate of Colton High School (CHS). She met her husband of 57 years during English class. “She was a cute girl,” her husband, Jerry, chuckled. “We were sitting near each other in English class and I asked her to a football game and it went from there.” The two dated for about three years before they were married in 1956, raising three daughters together. After her children were grown, she began working at the Catholic parish in various capacities, noted Jerry, and worked there giving back to others for two decades before she retired in March of 2002. Family and friends shared that when she first fell ill, doctors suspected she had suffered from a stroke. “The first we knew of a problem was Nov. 12 [of 2012],” her husband Jerry said. “She had what appeared to be a stroke. We didn’t know that it was a tumor for a couple of months, because the tumor brought on symptoms of the stroke.” After doctors performed various other tests, they found the tumor in her brain. Treatment was high-risk, as the tumor was embedded into her brain tissue, shared Jerry. Steve Cade, an officer with Citizens for Colton First who knew Donna for six years and a close friend, commented on the loss the group and the community felt by her passing. “We didn’t suffer only the loss of a great friend, but a wonderful woman. Our whole group loved her. Every single person was a friend of hers. The whole group lost a treasure.” Cade remembers her as “a great facilitator” who was always flawlessly coiffed. “Her hair and her clothes were always perfect, and she was a great organizer and facilitator. She was never afraid to chip in and get things done.” Her husband remembered her as “outgoing and friendly to everyone,” and recalled her love of travel. Together, the couple traveled across the United States and also visited foreign countries like Spain, Italy, England and Germany. “She loved to be with her family and she was a great grandmother to all of her grandkids,” said Jerry. Two memorial services were held: the first was last Wednesday, Aug. 14 at St. Catherine’s Church in Rialto and a mass held Thursday, Aug. 15 at St. Catherine’s Church. She will be laid to rest in private interment at the Old Mission San Luis Rey Cemetery in Oceanside, Calif.