Donna May McCullough

Donna May Willis McCullough, 90, died on Sunday, 25 January, 2026 at her home in Simi Valley, CA, of complications from diabetes mellitus.

Born in Los Angeles, she graduated from Washington High School in 1953, and worked as a legal secretary for several years before going on a blind date with a young man fresh out of the US Navy, Bob McCullough. Things progressed, as they sometimes do; she was married to the love of her life for over 69 years.

Raising five more-or-less respectable children in a Simi Valley that, in the early 1960s, was sparsely-enough populated that most directional instructions began with the words, "Find the traffic light…". Over years of deafening quietude, she made the Valley her own, while nobody, and perhaps everybody, actually knew about it. From watching the expressions of her fellow parishioners at St. Rose of Lima Catholic church as they wondered, "Just how many children are going to come out of that VW beetle?", to her work with the Daughters of the American Revolution ("Hey, they never actually asked which side our ancestors fought on…"), to her research, organization, and computerization of the family's Scots-Irish roots ("A few of these interesting stories might actually be true…"), and working with friends and neighbors on their own searches, and how to use newspaper obituaries to sort out family relationships in groups with oft-repeated first names.

She was a creature of community, of her church, of her childrens' schools; a poll-worker, an organizer of neighborhood 4th-of-July parades, a kind, cheerful, creative, and intelligent woman whose advice was often sought, and sometimes followed, a worker in Reagan's gubernatorial campaigns; a lover of connections, of December sparkles, of travel, of babies, of mid-50s big- band music, and of people. But it was in the field of "domestic arts" (a diminutive term undoubtedly coined by men who would be dangerous with a crochet hook if left to their own devices) where her gregarious nature came to the fore. Starting with her daughters and their Girl Scout friends, to a 20-year stint as a shop-owner, organizer, teacher, herder-of-cats, "Needle Art By Donna" became, not only the complete opposite of sane supply-chain management, but a gathering place, a place of camaraderie, of lessons and tips exchanged, of "Christmas In July" project-starting parties, so that you have time to finish the thing before the holidays. And so, now, the project is complete.

She is survived by her husband Robert, five children, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Donna's family would like to thank the staff of Oakmont Senior Living of Simi Valley, for their loving care over the past four years.

A visitation will be held at Reardon Simi Valley Funeral Home, 2636 Sycamore Drive, Simi Valley 93065 on Tuesday February 10th at 9:00AM. Funeral Mass will follow at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, 2380 Stow St, Simi Valley 93063, at 11:00AM, with internment afterwards at Assumption Cemetery, 1380 Fitzgerald Rd, Simi Valley 93065.

Genealogy cross-reference: Donna May Willis McCullough (1 June 1935-25 Jan 2026), eldest child and only daughter of Paul Francis Willis and Margaret Stine, sister of James Paul Willis. Married to Robert Lloyd McCullough, 30 June 1956. Five children: Catherine (Clifford Les), Diane, Dan (Alice Kranz), Michael (Joanne Butz; grandchildren Meghan (Carlos Padron, great-grandchild Eleanor) and Ethan), David (Moon-Ja Song; grandchildren Daniel and Aaron).