Donna Edly

1938 - 2024

Edly (Howard), Donna Lee

EDLY, Donna Lee, age 86, of Beavercreek, Ohio passed away peacefully on Thursday, November 21, 2024. She was preceded in death by her husband Joseph Edly, her father Glenn Howard, mother Winona "Bonnie" Howard, sisters Patsy Ramacitti & Lois Hunt, and brother James Howard. She was the loving mother of Linda (Roy) Mead, Karen (Anthony) Cardone and Janet (Charles) Borton; grandmother of Alissa, Michael, Becca, Alex, Ella and Ava; Donna is also survived by loving family members Eleanor Howard, Jeffrey (Vickie) Hunt, Patti (Joseph) Vaccaro, Jon (Heidi) Grace, and Jo Ellen (Warren) Ljungren, and Robert Edly. Donna was born August 28, 1938, in Osborn Ohio, which was later to be known as Fairborn. She was the youngest of four children. During her childhood she enjoyed dancing lessons, performing in dance recitals, playing softball on YMCA teams, and participating in Girl Scouts. In high school she enjoyed marching band, glee club, FTA (Future Teachers of America), being part of the year book staff, participating in speech competitions and writing for the school newspaper, where she could weekly demonstrate her journalism skills. Donna also displayed her talent in the roller rink, by participating in roller skating competitions, both individually and with a skating dance partner. She graduated from Fairborn High School in 1956. Donna's first job after high school was at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) in Flight Operations. Her office was located directly on the flight line, where she had a full view of all the VIP dignitaries flying into WPAFB, which included President Dwight D. Eisenhower and General Jimmy Doolittle. To Donna, this was a very exciting job as a 17 year old. Donna took time off work for a period of time to raise her three daughters. She then returned to the office and worked in various positions, including serving as a secretary at Wright State University. She eventually made her way back to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and retired in 1998. Donna dedicated so much of her life volunteering. She was a "volunteer mother". She served as a room mother in the girls classrooms. For seven years she served as a Red Cross volunteer in the school clinics and she was also a Brownie leader. When the girls attended Carroll High School, she was a devoted volunteer for 10 years as a Booster Parent for the Carroll High School Marching Band. She served multiple roles in the band, including Secretary, Chairman of the Carroll High School Marching Band Competition, and President of the Band Boosters. She greatly enjoyed all the outings, trips, and festivities the Carroll Band Parents (Carrolleers) were able to do together during this time and later years. She was also known as the "balloon lady" because she ran the balloon booth at Carroll's annual carnival. Donna enjoyed donating her time to the community and the arts. She served on the board to restore the Fairborn movie theater and served many years with the county board of elections as precinct captain and poll worker. She also regularly volunteered at the Victoria Theater and The Schuster Center in downtown Dayton along with her friend Ruth Wiles. In addition to volunteering, Donna also treasured her time, friendships and shared faith with members of her Rosary group. She had been part of this amazing and devoted group for over 40 years. She developed many close friends within and they were a great support to Donna during these past years. Donna enjoyed an entertainment filled life. She loved going to Broadway shows, movies and local festivals. She also greatly enjoyed trips to Kings Island and Disney World with her family and traveling with Joe's poker group to various destinations. Donna was blessed to have traveled to many places with Joe. They went to Hawaii, Alaska, and California, along with taking several cruises and making many trips to Disney World. However, their favorite trips were going to the beach with their children and grandchildren. At the beach, Donna enjoyed sipping her coffee while watching the ocean waves, as well as hanging out with family. Donna was blessed with the friendship, support and company of her former neighbors in Fairborn and Beavercreek, friends from St. Lukes, and coworkers from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. She was also blessed to have amazing care givers along with the friendships of Marissa (a long term caregiver), Laura and Sarah (from Home Care Assistance), and other caregivers at the Ridge in Beavercreek. Donna's daughters sincerely appreciate all that she did to be such a big part of all of their activities. She rarely missed anything and was always actively involved. They will forever cherish all that she did to make their holidays, vacations, and childhood so special together. Visitation for Donna will be held Sunday, December 1st, 2024 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Tobias Funeral Home, 3970 Dayton Xenia Road at Grange Hall Road, Beavercreek, Ohio 45432. The funeral mass is Monday, December 2, 2024 at 10:30 AM at St. Luke Catholic Church, 1440 N. Fairfield Road, Beavercreek, Ohio 45432. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Carroll High School Band; 4524 Linden Ave, Dayton Ohio, 45432. www.carrollhs.org/giving. To share a special memory of Donna with her family, please visit: www.tobias-fh.com.