Obituary

Donna June Dunning was born on May 22, 1946, in Larnad, Kansas to her parents Donald Freeman and Roberta June Sparkman. She was known for her kind heart, love of family, giving nature and red-headed sass. After a six-month battle with cancer, Donna made her final journey to be with her husband Robert Wayne Dunning (1944-2008) and daughter Rebecca (Becky) Elizabeth Dunning (1971-2020) on June 22, 2022, at 8:30pm.

She is survived by her partner Bob Hiatt, sons Donald (Melissa) Dunning, Bradley Dunning, sister Janna (Steve) Bollinger, and grandsons Joseph Dunning, Zachary Dunning and Nikolas Gainer.

At age 19, Donna met her husband Robert Dunning. She always said he was very much “the cool guy” and knew quickly they were meant to be together. They were married in Issaquah, Washington the day before Donna’s birthday on May 21, 1966. Donna always joked that getting married aged her… she had a great sense of humor. They spent much of their time with friends and cruising in their convertible.

In 1969, Robert and Donna started their family with their first child Don, followed 20 months later by Becky and finally 10 months later came Brad. While the convertible had to be traded in for a more family friendly car, they continued cruising with the kids and going on family trips as often as possible. When the kids were young, Donna spent her time supporting them as a den mother for the boys’ Cub Scout Troop and Becky’s Campfire Troop. She worked various jobs during her lifetime, but the one she spoke most fondly of was being a waitress at Lil’ Jons Restaurant in Bellevue, WA. She loved meeting new people and having a schedule that allowed for her to be with her family.

After the kids grew up and moved out, her and Robert resumed their life of cruising in their 67’ Oldsmobile Cutlass. They regularly went on trips with their car club and friends to the Washington and Oregon Beaches. She also spent much of her time as a member of the Issaquah Eagles; at the time of her passing she was being honored for 55 years of service.

In 1996, Donna was blessed by Don with her first grandson Joey. Zac was born two years later. Donna loved nothing more than being a grandmother. In 2005, Don met Melissa and her 5-year-old son Nick. From their first meeting, she was known as grandma. She loved when the kids came over to celebrate holidays or just to hang out in the playroom. As the grandsons got older, Donna continued to make sure that they always knew she loved them. She took any opportunity to see them at their school activities or sporting events. She was always their loudest cheerleader; that red-headed sass can be heard on many home videos from football games yelling “HIT EM HARDER” or “SACK EM BOYS”.

After 42 years of marriage, her husband Robert passed in 2008. Donna continued to stay active by volunteering, knitting, visiting with friends, and supporting the Eagles; the family always told her she was the busiest retired person they had ever met.

In 2018, Donna reconnected with Bob Hiatt; they had known each other many years ago in school and Donna had stayed in contact with his family. Bob and Donna spent her final years together going on vacations and exploring new locations together. Donna was even able to manage her fear of flying to see the beaches in Hawaii.

At the time of her passing, Don was able to hold her hand and tell her how much she was loved. Because Donna was concerned about the current state of Covid, she requested that no services be held as she would not want any of her friends and family to get sick. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in her honor. Donna was a kind soul and we are sad she is no longer with us.