Dona Wylie

1944 - 2025

Dona Maria (Reid) Wylie died at home on August 28, 2025. She was born to Sylvia (Conte) and Donald Reid on March 11, 1944, in Pittsfield, Mass. She moved with her parents to several small towns in Western Massachusetts, finally settling in Lenox, Mass. in the summer of 1955. She attended Lenox public schools, starting in the sixth grade in the fall of 1955. She met her husband-to-be on the first day of the sixth grade at Lenox Center School. Their friendship was immediate and remained through high school. Dona graduated from Lenox High School in June of 1962. Dona went on to attend Fitchburg State College, graduating in June 1966 with a BS in Nursing. Following graduation, Dona worked for fifteen years as a pediatric nurse at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield.

Dona has four sisters, Susan, Mary Beth, Chalene, and Terri. Dona married her high school sweetheart, Bruce Wylie, on August 7, 1971. Together, the couple had three sons, Bruce, Donald who preceded her in death, Andrew William, and Stephen Douglas. Dona has eight grandchildren, Mel and Calum, Nimora who preceded her in death, Xavier, Cyrus, and Tyrion, and Tommy, Nicky, and Ella.

Dona relocated to Charlottesville in the fall on 1981. There Dona volunteered as a teachers aide at Woodbrook and Brownsville elementary schools, and at the Jefferson School Early Childhood program. She also volunteered as a docent at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. In 1988 she started a program of study at the University of Virginia, graduating with a Masters Degree in Counseling in 1990. Dona worked as a client services manager for several agencies in Charlottesville and Stanton. At People Places in Stanton, Dona initiated a program to help families keep foster children in their foster families. Returning to work in Charlottesville, Dona took a position as Client Services Manager with the Aids HIV Services Agency, from which she retired in 1998. Dona then attended a program at Ghost Ranch in New Mexico to be trained as a Spiritual Counselor. Completing the training program, she started a spiritual counseling practice and was active as a spiritual counselor for several years.

Dona travelled extensively to Europe, spending seven months living in Kingston Upon Thames, UK. She also traveled to Alaska, a cruise to the North Pole, and a sailboat cruise around the Greek Islands. Her time in Italy connecting with cousins, and visiting the towns where her Grandparents were born was very satisfying for her.

Funeral services for Dona will be at Charlottesville Sojourners UCC church on September 20th at 2 p.m. In leu of flowers, donations to Sojourners UCC Church Peace and Justice fund or the Charlottesville office of The Hospice of the Piedmont.