Donna Lou (Paris) Apperson was born in Lapwai, Idaho, Oct. 6, 1924. Her early years were spent on various farms in the Lewiston area.

Her family moved to Albany, Ore., to farm in the 1930s. When the Depression hit they lost the farm and moved back to Idaho.

Mom attended high school in Lewiston, graduating in 1940. Donna attended the University of Idaho, graduating with a teaching certificate. She taught in Culdesac, Idaho, for two years before moving to Seattle at the close of WWII. Donna met her husband, Edwin, at a dance there. They married in 1946 and moved to Oak Harbor, Wash., for the first time.

During their many years in the Navy, Donna made homes in Washington, Hawaii, South Carolina and Virginia. Upon retiring from the Navy in 1964 they returned to Oak Harbor to settle down. She was a substitute teacher in the local school district until 1976.

Donna and Ed were enthusiastic world travelers and passed that love down to their daughters, Jan Baertschiger (Jim), Lee Thompson and Kim Apperson (Ellen).

She was an active member in the local United Methodist Church. She spent her last years being lovingly cared for at Regency Memory Care. She is survived by her daughters, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Memorials may be made to the Oak Harbor United Methodist Church or to a charity of your choice.

Services will be held at noon on Saturday, Jan. 18, starting with a graveside service at Maple Leaf Cemetery. A memorial service and reception will follow at 1 p.m. at the Oak Harbor United Methodist Church.