Google the name Donna and you’ll find that this is a name that indicates a gift of gab. Donnas are expressive, optimistic, outgoing, cheerful and creative.
That was OUR Donna. Mom, wife, sister, daughter, grandma, great-grandma, aunt, friend, neighbor and a bunch of other amazing things.
Donna Lee Noble was spotted by Jim Rourk at a high school dance in 1951 and by god, she. was. it. The one. These crazy kids were barely old enough to drive but they knew one thing: they were absolutely meant for each other. More than 66 years of marriage can confirm.
She was a sister to one brother and four sisters and the adoring daughter of George and Ethel.
Besides Jim, the love of her life, Donna had some other hobbies. In the late ’60s, it was wallpapering. She was a black belt in measuring, cutting, positioning and hanging. Along with her sister, Marylou, they smoked, swore and laughed their way through buckets of paste and paper and walls. And sometimes folks paid for the honor.
Another talent, sewing. Her flair with a pair of bell bottoms made us stylish and awesome through the wonders of Donna’s pie sliced ’70s fabric sewn into the “bell.”
She could also frost and perm the bejesus out of our hair.
She enjoyed her time managing the community college bookstore and selling Luzier cosmetics.
If there were an Allen County Fair 4-H ribbon for leaving the longest answering machine messages known to man, Donna would’ve won Grand Champion. We have proof.
She was proud of and bragged about her sons’ JR and Kevin’s various athletic achievements and she and our dad, holding hands as usual, were at most games. Her daughter, Becky, abhorred sports but excelled in BS and she admired that, too. She was equally proud of grandkids Kaylee, Heather, Jake and Chad and wild about their kids.
Let’s explore Donna’s cooking repertoire. Irish stew, biscuits and gravy, airport soup, the list goes on. At Christmas, she gave us crochet hooks to dip chocolates. She was a regular MacGyver.
She was as quick-witted as our dad. Strong (two-time cancer survivor), smart and funny. Sweet and kind. A friend to all. Bowling teams, card games, camping, Saturday night dances in Piqua, mom was in the mix. She always had a group of close friends who thought the world of her, and many family friends including but not limited to her nieces Deb and Jill and nephew Jerry.
She kept every card anyone ever sent her. She loved them and couldn’t bear to part with them. Just as we can hardly bear to part with her.
Donna and Jim, two peas in a pod, together again.
A celebration of life for both Donna and Jim will be held in the spring and will no doubt include BBQ and country music. Stay tuned.
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