Donna E. Troxel passed away peacefully of natural causes Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Kennewick.
She was born Jan. 12, 1929, in Lyman, Okla., and was the daughter of Donald Lockhart and Helen Huntington. Her sister Joanne was two years older. They lived in the oil fields in Oklahoma while her daddy worked for Sinclair Oil. Donna went to school in a one-room school house, and when she and Joanne were 8 and 10, respectively, their daddy died of cancer. Shortly after, her mom moved them to Colorado Springs where she attended third grade through high school.
In 1946, she met Eddy R. Troxel, who had just returned from serving in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific during World War II. He was the love of her life, and they were married Jan. 18, 1947. Eddy was a student and football player at Western State College, so they moved to Gunnison, Colo. This was an epic event in her life as she had never been away from her mom; she was a mama’s girl.
Donna and Ed had four children: Lon, Melissa, Van and Andrew. They all agree that Donna was the best mom anyone could ask for. She and Ed started his coaching career in Manzanola, Colo. They moved to Caldwell, Idaho, in 1953 with Lon and Melissa. There they started lifelong friendships that they would add to over his years of coaching. Throughout the family’s various moves because of Ed’s coaching career, Donna was the glue that kept everyone and everything together over many decades. Their third son, Van, was born in Caldwell.
In 1958, they moved to Boise and Ed became the head football coach for the new high school, Borah. Again in Boise, their list of lifelong friends continued to grow, and yet again, so did their family. They expanded their family adding nephew Tim Greeley and niece Mary Greeley to the family. Family was the most important to Donna. Shortly after taking in her niece and nephew, Donna’s sister, Joanne, also came to live with them. Auntie Jo was part of the family until she passed at 64. She helped with the large family as Donna and Ed decided it was time for Donna to go to college.
Donna earned her associate degree in elementary education at Boise Junior College. She taught second grade for three years at Jackson Elementary School. Then in 1967, Ed took a football coaching job with the University of Idaho. They moved their family, except for Lon, who was in college, and Tim, who just graduated and joined the Navy, to Moscow. That summer their fourth child, Andrew, was born. During their 11 years in Moscow, Donna returned to college and finished her education degree magna cum laude. For the duration of their time in Moscow, she taught kindergarten at St. Mary’s Catholic school.
In 1978, Ed’s coaching profession brought another opportunity and a new community, Kennewick. As their adult children were married and starting their own families, Ed, Donna, Andy and Auntie Jo were the family members to call Kennewick home. Kennewick was Donna’s home for 42 years.
She was an elementary teacher at Westgate Elementary School for 15 years. When she retired, she and Ed traveled, seeing family and friends, and of course they traveled to watch their beloved grandchildren play football and other sports. One of their fondest trips was the Alaskan cruise during the summer of 2000 with a group of old friends. Shortly after, her beloved Ed was diagnosed with cancer. He passed away shorty after their 54th anniversary in January 2001.
After Ed’s passing, she would live the next 20 years by herself. Donna was an active member of the Kennewick United Methodist Church, where she held various leadership positions. She did several Walk to Emmaus events, sharing her love of the Lord, and also volunteered at the local Cancer Center. Her mentoring of Cynthia Bement developed into a special friendship with weekly phone calls even to the end. She continued to travel to see family and friends, always making her annual trip to visit family and friends in the Boise valley. She and her teaching friend, Patty Hornberger, became traveling companions. They did numerous Collette Tours, seeing much of the United States, England, Scotland and Ireland. She also did a Baltic cruise with her special friends, Dick and Sidney Bartlett. Traveling was truly one of Donna’s greatest joys.
Throughout her life, Donna was a people person. She loved to visit and never met a stranger. Her and Sidney Bartlett shared a lifelong best friendship. They met every Thursday for prayer and breakfast. She had Tuesday tea with her neighbor, Cheryl Tate, even after she moved to Brookdale Retirement Center, and faithfully attended her church small groups. She played bunco and cards. Playing cards with Mom and her friends will always be a fond memory. Donna was a very special woman who was an example for all of us. She will be dearly missed, but is now back with the love of her life, Ed.
She was preceeded in death by her sister, Joanne; her husband, Ed; and her niece, Mary. She is survived by her son, Lon (Jeane), of Boise; her daughter, Melissa Cole (Bruce), of North Fork, Idaho; her son, Van (Karen), of Spokane; her son, Andy (Juli), of Kennewick; and her nephew, Tim Greeley, of Boise. She is also survived by 14 grandchildren; four grand-nephews and grand-nieces; 21 great-grands; and one great-great-grandson.
The family looks forward to having a memorial service in June to celebrate her life. If you wish to donate in her memory, please donate to the Kennewick United Methodist Church, the Ed Troxel Foundation Fund, or a charity of your choice.
