Donnalou Myerholtz Rollins

Donnalou Myerholtz Rollins, 96, of West Hartford, passed away peacefully on November 12, 2025. She was born on April 21, 1929, the daughter of Lawrence and Amanda Myerholtz of Oak Harbor, Ohio.
Donnalou's life was blessed with family, friends, traditions, music and faith. After graduating from Oak Harbor High School, she earned a Bachelor of School Music at Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, with a major in music education and a minor in English Literature, continuing with an MA in Music and Education at the University of Hartford. She met her future husband Wayne G. Rollins in the library at Capital University and they married in 1953. While Wayne studied at Yale Divinity School, Donnalou taught vocal music in North Haven, CT schools, directed the choir at the Cheshire UCC church, and gave birth to three sons, Michael (1956), Thomas (1958), and David (1961). After living in Princeton, N.J. and Wellesley, MA, where Wayne was teaching, the family came to West Hartford when Wayne became Professor of New Testament Studies at the Hartford Seminary. Donnalou taught music at St. Joseph College and in the Simsbury Public Schools (Latimer Lane School). She pursued advanced training in music education, earning an Orff Teaching certificate from Memphis State University. Her studies also took her to the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, the University of Michigan, and the Orff Institute in Vienna and Salzburg, Austria. She led graduate school workshops at Central Connecticut State University and in local public schools. She served as president of the Connecticut American Orff-Schulwerk Association from 1982 to 84, and in retirement taught private piano. She was a member of the Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford, CT.
Donnalou enjoyed sabbatical years with her husband and family in Cambridge, England (1970) and Berkeley, California (1989-1990). She and her husband led tours to Israel, Greece, and Italy with additional travel in Europe, Egypt, Australia, New Zealand and the Far East. She was devoted to her family, loved books, appreciated the trees in New England, enjoyed her piano daily, played in recorder consorts, and enjoyed gardening, photography, tennis, swimming, hiking, and discussions with a wide circle of friends. She lived with purpose and positive energy and maintained a keen interest in current events until the time of her death.
Donnalou lived a full life that embraced family and friends. She is survived by her loving husband of 72 years, Wayne Rollins. She is also survived by her three sons, Michael (Betsey) Rollins, Thomas (Lisa Cassidy) Rollins, and David (Linda) Rollins. She was the adoring grandmother of Suzanne (Renaldo Webb) Rollins, Allison Rollins, Meredith (Nick) Zaleski, Kathleen Rollins, Katherine Cassidy, Daniel Rollins and Sarah Rollins; and the loving great-grandmother of Apollo and Aurelia Webb, and Camden and Brody Zaleski. She was in almost daily communication with her beloved sister, Kathleen Lezotte of Greencastle, Indiana. She will be forever in our hearts.
The family would like to thank care-giver Annette Grant for her dedicated and consistent support for Donnalou during the last year of her life.
A Memorial Service to celebrate her life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 6, at Asylum Hill Congregational Church, 814 Asylum Ave., Hartford, CT, 06105. Livestream is available at www.AHCC.org. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the music ministry of Asylum Hill Congregational Church, Hartford, CT, the National Parks Conservation Association, 777 6th Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20001, or plant a tree in her name at www.memorialtree.com Online condolences may be made at www.SheehanHilbornBreen.com