Donna Ann McGovern Washington, 68, of Vancleave, Mississippi, passed away peacefully in her sleep on October 29, 2022, after a brief illness.
Donna was born on May 10, 1954, in New London, Connecticut to Richard Thompson and Mary Susan (Agostinelli) McGovern. She moved from Connecticut at 13, and came to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, by way of California, at age 15, where she met the father of her children, to whom she was married for 45 years. After graduating from Moss Point High School in 1971, she went on to study Radiologic Technology at Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College.
Over the years, she had various careers as an X-ray technician, stay-at-home mom, and in Computer Aided Drafting, but from the time she was a little girl, the only thing she wanted was to be a wife and mother, and she understood the assignment. Her three girls adored her for her intelligence and effortless beauty, of which she feigned ignorance. She was a stickler for a household schedule and stressed the importance of education. She was not a trained cosmetologist, and this was regrettably evident in the regular, appalling haircuts she gave to her girls.
Donna loved to cook and made way too much food for every family gathering. She was half-Italian and had the sauce recipe to prove it. How she hid the carrots in there remains a mystery. When her girls were grown, she went back to school and learned to bake breads and pastries at Le Cordon Bleu. Ever persistent, she still burned the bread regularly.
She loved true crime, but never made use of her knowledge. That we know of.
She was a talented artist and loved to draw and paint. She gifted her art to her family and friends, and those who received these paintings lord it over those who did not.
She loved taking trips with her girls and close friends, and spending time with her little sister, Kathy, who she considered her first baby.
Donna was happiest when she was around loved ones and giving of herself. She loved unconditionally and had the ability to make everyone feel as if they were her special favorite. She wrote in her journal that she loved her life with Jesus. A lifelong Catholic, she was always focused on growing her faith and dedicated to improving herself. She remained stubborn to the end.
Donna was preceded in death by her parents and beloved pets Bobo and Lulu. She will be profoundly missed and is survived by her three daughters: Carey (Bryan) Harris, Kelly (Greg) McMillan, and Kacey (Casey) York; sister and lifelong best friend, Kathleen McGovern LaFleur; nine grandchildren: Baleigh McMillan, Dalton York, Madison York, Carter McMillan, Eli Bounds, Landon Bounds, Ty Bounds, Garrison McMillan, and Paxton Harris; great grandson, Kaniff Fogleman; her fur baby, Scooter; loving stepmother, Kathy McGovern Besse; stepsisters Tobie Cunningham and Elizabeth Simpkins; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be held Friday, November 4, 2022, from 6-8 PM at Holder-Wells Funeral Home, 4007 Main Street, Moss Point, MS 39563, with the rosary at 7PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Saturday, November 5, 2022, at 11 AM at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 3702 Quinn Drive, Pascagoula, MS, with the Rite of Committal and burial immediately following at Crestlawn Memorial Park, 4111 Bienville Blvd, Ocean Springs, MS.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in memory of Donna to the American Heart Association at https://www.heart.org/en/get-involved/ways-to-give?form=FUNELYZXFBW .
To share condolences and sign the online register book in Donna's memory please visit www.holderwellsfuneralhome.com .
Holder-Wells Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.