Donna and her husband Richard Hyde were brutally murdered, I believe the Friday following Thanksgiving weekend in 1977. I was returning from a deer hunt and heard it on the radio. It was shocking of course. Their two young daughters were not touched. I think her parents lived on Thorn Run Road, but imagine they have passed on by now. Rich was the principal of Fern Hollow Elementary School. Donna was my mother's hair dresser. We were living in Chicago at the time and my wife Elaine used her as well when we visited. After some on-line research I discovered that their two daughters were Kelli and Karri, 9 and 4 at the time. I think they ended up with relatives in another state.
Donna meet her future husband at a dance in Coraopolis at the YMCA when they were both juniors in high school. He went to Slippery Rock State Colledge for his bachleor's and master's degrees in education and she earned a beautician's license from a downtown school. They married in November of 1964 and had two daughters Kelli, and Kari.
She had a salon on Carnot Road that was called Mary Jane's Coiffures. She sold it and, for a short time, operated a business from the basement of her new home on Shafer Road. It took them 21/2 years to build their home. They loved entertaining and hosted a Christmas party ever year for the faculty of Fern Hollow Elementary School, where Richard was the principal.
Donna and Richard were both murdered sometime between late Friday evening and early Saturday morning on December 3, 1977. Both of their daughters were asleep in their beds. Nine year old Kelli found her father's body, he had been shot in the abdomen. She called the operator who notified the police at 7:00AM. The children were bundled off to the home of friends while the police conducted the investigation.
They continued the search but didn't find Donna's body until Sunday. She was found in the woods one mile from her home and 1/2 mile from her in-laws. She died of head injuries caused by a blunt instrument. They were laid to rest in the Coraopolis Cemetary.
Inez Wiant recently sent me the newspaper clippings that she had saved all of these years. She wanted to share them with all of us.
I can't imagine anything more horrible for those little girls. Terrible. Donna was so nice. Her mother used to come to my mom's basement beauty shop to get her hair done. Back in the day.They were really good people.
Mary Littler (Babik)
Donna and her husband Richard Hyde were brutally murdered, I believe the Friday following Thanksgiving weekend in 1977. I was returning from a deer hunt and heard it on the radio. It was shocking of course. Their two young daughters were not touched. I think her parents lived on Thorn Run Road, but imagine they have passed on by now. Rich was the principal of Fern Hollow Elementary School. Donna was my mother's hair dresser. We were living in Chicago at the time and my wife Elaine used her as well when we visited. After some on-line research I discovered that their two daughters were Kelli and Karri, 9 and 4 at the time. I think they ended up with relatives in another state.
Brad & Elaine Malone
Mary Littler (Babik)
They renamed the school that Donna's husband was principal of the Richard Hyde Elementary School out of respect for the family.
Dave & Judy Hays
Mary Littler (Babik)
Donna meet her future husband at a dance in Coraopolis at the YMCA when they were both juniors in high school. He went to Slippery Rock State Colledge for his bachleor's and master's degrees in education and she earned a beautician's license from a downtown school. They married in November of 1964 and had two daughters Kelli, and Kari.
She had a salon on Carnot Road that was called Mary Jane's Coiffures. She sold it and, for a short time, operated a business from the basement of her new home on Shafer Road. It took them 21/2 years to build their home. They loved entertaining and hosted a Christmas party ever year for the faculty of Fern Hollow Elementary School, where Richard was the principal.
Donna and Richard were both murdered sometime between late Friday evening and early Saturday morning on December 3, 1977. Both of their daughters were asleep in their beds. Nine year old Kelli found her father's body, he had been shot in the abdomen. She called the operator who notified the police at 7:00AM. The children were bundled off to the home of friends while the police conducted the investigation.
They continued the search but didn't find Donna's body until Sunday. She was found in the woods one mile from her home and 1/2 mile from her in-laws. She died of head injuries caused by a blunt instrument. They were laid to rest in the Coraopolis Cemetary.
Inez Wiant recently sent me the newspaper clippings that she had saved all of these years. She wanted to share them with all of us.
Billie Rutledge (Bierer)
I can't imagine anything more horrible for those little girls. Terrible. Donna was so nice. Her mother used to come to my mom's basement beauty shop to get her hair done. Back in the day.They were really good people.
Billie Rutledge Bierer