Donna Morton

Donna Gentry Morton entered the arms of her Lord and Savior following a courageous four-month battle with brain cancer. Born in Aberdeen, MD, on October 13, 1959, Donna passed away in Cumming, GA, on August 15, 2025, at the age of 65.

As a lover and collector of lighthouses, Donna herself was a beacon of light, radiating God's love, compassion, generosity, and hope. She was unique, truly one-of-a-kind. She was talented, funny, relatable, insightful and wise, and her best self always was portrayed through her exceptional gift of writing. Donna apologetically marched to the beat of her own drum, endearing herself to many who fondly described her as "quirky" or "eccentric." Her charm and humor were irresistible. She was tenacious and a fighter (as we witnessed through her cancer journey) as much as she was a chill and carefree boho/flowerchild gal. Donna was unforgettable, and everyone who knew her loved her dearly.

A woman of deep faith, Donna was a devoted student of the Bible. She was active for decades in her beloved "Bible Study Babes" group with ladies who loved and sought the Lord, and with whom she cherished "doing life". She was a new member of Sawnee Ridge Church, Cumming, GA, and was so looking forward to executing the service opportunities she was passionate about.

Donna was a gifted writer, storyteller, and dreamer. Her captivating Facebook posts were eagerly anticipated by her many fans, who appreciated her insight, inspiration, and delicious sense of humor. She had a unique way of seeing things and writing about them through a special lens. Donna's love for animals and nature was evident in the delightful anecdotes she shared about her menagerie of pets, including an iguana, parrots, ducks, dogs, and cats. She was fondly known as "the duck lady from Ducktown" (the name of the small community where she lived) and "the writer with a parrot on each shoulder".

Family was Donna's greatest treasure and she would have done anything for her beloved sons and grandchildren. She has left behind dozens of journals, letters, and mementos to the grandchildren so they would know her as they grew up. Her fierce love also flowed to her extended family and friends, to whom she was unwaveringly loyal.

Donna liked to say she was a Chesapeake Bay girl who became an Appalachian girl when her family moved from Aberdeen, MD, to Bristol, TN, in 1973. Upon graduation from high school, she earned a B.S. degree in journalism from East Tennessee State University in 1980.

While there, she formed lifelong friendships with Phi Mu sorority sisters and other friends who remained close, right up until the day she died. After graduation, Donna wrote radio advertising locally for WQUT/WJCW radio as well as WIVK in Knoxville, TN, earning 10 "Excellence in Advertising" awards for creative writing. She went on to write for newspaper, websites, and retail and industrial marketing collateral.

Widowed from the love of her life, John, in 2015, she felt he would want her to continue to enjoy writing and to complete a novel she had been working on for years. In 2016, she fulfilled her first big dream as a writer: publishing her book! This captivating historical romance novel set in the 1930s was long, so the publisher released it as two separate books called "The Heart Tide Series." Book 1 is "Watching the Water" and book 2 is "Seeking the Shore;" both are available in paperback and audiobook versions. Donna loved appearing and contributing to author events following the publication of her books.

A few years later, Donna went on to fulfill her "bucket list" wish of completing her Master's, graduating in 2022 at the age of 62 from Lindenwood University, St. Louis, MO, with a fine arts degree in writing. This fabulous accomplishment afforded her the opportunity to do something she had only dreamed about: teaching college-level writing courses. She was wrapping up her second year as an adjunct instructor with Lanier Technical College in Gainesville and Cumming, GA, while seeking a diagnosis of the progressive loss of function on the left side of her body. Yet, she still drove nearly an hour each way to teach because she was so dedicated and loved her students! What a shock to discover in late March that she was partially paralyzed on the left side of her body due to pressure from malignant brain tumors.

At the time of her death, Donna was in the process of publishing a collection of short stories she had written over the past 20 or so years, many which had been featured online when she worked for a Christian website. It is entitled, "God Laughs, Too (With You, Not At You) Always In Your Midst," under the penname of Jentry Mortyn, variations in spelling of her maiden and married names. This inspiring collection of true stories reflect her unique perspective and the lessons she learned through her faith.

Donna was preceded in death by husband John W. Morton, baby daughter Alison Nicole who would have been born in August 2000, father Delbert Gentry, mother Betty Abel Gentry, sister Becky Williams, nephew Scott Williams, and in-laws Betty Morton and John F. Morton.

She is survived by her sons John Robert "J.R." Morton (Tessa Battles) and Daniel Gentry Morton (Breanna Autumn), grandchildren Oaklyn, Cheyenne, and Finn Morton, niece Beth Williams (David Smith), godson and nephew Zac Canter, brother-in-law Ted Williams, sister-in-law Susan Morton Leonard (Mark), nephew Corey Leonard, sister-in-law Sarah Morton Simcox (Jeff), niece Christina LaPlaca, and many beloved cousins.

Please join us in celebrating Donna's life on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, at McDonald & Son Funeral Home, 150 Sawnee Drive, Cumming, GA 30040. Visitation will begin at 12 noon, followed by a 2 PM service of remembrance. Cremation will follow and later on, date to be determined, her ashes will be buried alongside the body of her beloved husband, John, in a private family cemetery in Bluff City, TN.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be directed to an account that has been set up to support Donna's family with transition after brain cancer: https://gofund.me/6ea31898