Donna R. Raber

Donna Raye Raber (née Steele) passed away peacefully in her sleep at Lavender Fields Assisted Living in Beverly, West Virginia, on June 18, 2025, following a week of declining health. She was 88. At the time of her passing, her brother, Richard Steele was at her side.
Born in Morgantown, West Virginia, Donna was known for her sharp wit, unwavering determination, and love of music. She graduated from Morgantown High School in 1954 and was among the first women to complete the Medical Secretarial Course at Morgantown Business College in Morgantown. She became a member of the Beta Sigma Phi service sorority and worked as a medical secretary. She married Frederick Ernest Raber in 1960.
Her daughter, Diane Leslie, was born in Rochester, Minnesota, where Donna and Fred lived from 1964 to 1984. They later moved to Raleigh, North Carolina and after becoming empty nesters, they relocated to Wake Forest, North Carolina, where Donna would live until returning to West Virginia in May 2025. She was an active member of North Raleigh United Methodist Church, serving faithfully as an assistant to the treasurer and as a volunteer on the Altar Guild. Though she lived many years away from the Mountain State, her heart never left her beloved Morgantown, and she proudly considered herself a West Virginian to the very end. And through it all, she was never far from a mug of coffee!
Donna continued the tradition of gardening as taught by her paternal grandmother and parents, planting vegetables and decorative plants everywhere she lived. Her life was enriched by travel and avid curiosity, exploring California, Florida, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, and Spain. She was an enthusiastic walker and even hiked in the Pyrenees Mountains with her family.
She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Diane and Tony Cortés of Florida; her sister, Jennifer McCormick of Morgantown; and her brother, sister-in-law, and niece – Rick, Angie, and Hannah Steele, also of Morgantown. She was preceded in death by her husband, Fred, who passed away in March 2025.
Donna will be laid to rest at Beverly Hills Memorial Gardens in Morgantown, West Virginia. In lieu of flowers, the family invites your prayers for Donna and her loved ones.
"Touched only by the seasons, swept clean by the waving grain, surveyed by a happy bluebird, and kissed by the falling rain... Suddenly there's a valley where hope and love begin"
"Suddenly There's a Valley" (1955), by Dorothy Collins