Donna was born on October 10, 1925, in Guilford, Maine, youngest of five children, to Harry and Bernice Welts.
Donna is survived by her children, Victoria Zelnick (Charles), of Deer Isle, Maine, and William Wagoner (Rebecca) of Quincy, Washington, as well as three granddaughters, Leah and Elizabeth Zelnick and Stephanie Schilling. She is preceded in death by her husband Howard and son Howard Eugene III.
She graduated from the University of Maine in 1948 with a degree in Business Administration. That same year she married Howard E. Wagoner II, a University of Maine Forest Entomologist. After moving to Durham, N.C.,where Howard attended Duke University, they relocated to Hawaii, where they lived for most of their married lives, with interspersed stints in South and Central America. In later years they lived in Hermiston, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where they doted on their granddaughters.
Donna loved her many friends, nieces and nephews. She was a consummate writer of notes and letters. In later years she was fond of frequently telephoning friends and family for famously short conversations. She was devoted to the many church families she had over the years in different places. She left many friends at Christ Episcopal Church in Cedar Rapids when she moved to Wenatchee.
A funeral service was scheduled for Monday, May 23, 2016 at St. John’s Episcopal Church, Hermiston, with a private graveside ceremony at the Hermiston Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the University of Maine Foundation, Two Alumni Place, Orono, ME 04469-5792. Condolences can be sent to burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
