Donna May Vandersall

Donna May Vandersall (McGee) went to be with our Lord on June 28, 2012, after a battle with lung cancer of over a year.

Donna was born in Sioux City, Iowa on December 7, 1933 and moved to Cuyahoga Falls after marrying Beryl Vandersall in 1954, to whom she was married 42 years. Donna raised three loving boys, Jeff, Bruce and Tim in Cuyahoga Falls and Stow. Donna loved being with and talking to her children and 13 grandchildren and their families.

She was a die-hard Browns, Indians and Cavaliers fan, and was known to be heard hollering for (or at) them on a regular basis. Donna loved cooking, dancing, good music, playing cards, fishing, and eating out with her best friend, Beverly Christenson, with whom she lived in Rockford, Ill. for a period of 15 years, until she moved back to Ohio in 2011 to be with friends and family during her illness. Donna became a second mother to Bev’s daughter, Jolyn Fritchen and her children.

Donna was also a lover of casino play, including slot machines and blackjack, and was able to make it to the Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland on June 2 for one last pull on the slots, which made her very happy. Donna was a wonderful loving mother, but also worked as a school bus driver in Rockford and as a very popular cook at the VFW Post 1070, to which she was a proud lifelong Auxiliary member along with her longtime friend, Lizz Mason. Donna also volunteered her time towards reading to children in Rockford before her illness.

Donna is joined in heaven with her mother, Wilma “May”; father, Eugene; son, Bruce; and best friend, Bev. Donna is survived by her sister, Shirley Girard of Cuyahoga Falls; her oldest son, Jeff (and Patricia) Vandersall of Dallas, Texas; youngest son, Tim (and Diane) Vandersall of Hartville, Ohio; daughter-in-law, Cindy of Kettering, Ohio; grandchildren, Kathryn “Katie” Thiesen, Kevin, Christopher, Kyle, Kimberly Kilburn, Jason, Corey, Brianna, Alysha, Anna, Sammy, Tyler and Joe; and her great-grandchildren, Casandra, Kyla and Blahre.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, 11 a.m. at Rivertree Christian Church, 2201 Lake Center St. N.W., Uniontown, Ohio 44685 with Pastor Jon Tisevich officiating. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Attn: DEV, Charles B. Wang International Children's Building, 699 Prince St., Alexandria, VA 22314-3175.