Elana Donde

Elana Donde, age 50, passed away peacefully on May 22, 2024, while surrounded by her loved ones in White House, TN.
Elana was born in Kiev, Ukraine and raised in Brooklyn, New York. After she obtained her baccalaureate degree she was required to put her plans on hold. As a single mother with two daughters, her focus became working to support her family and raising her daughters. Twenty years later, she moved to Tennessee and enrolled at the Nashville School of Law (NSL) with aspirations to obtain a degree to practice animal law. She was well on her way to earning her law degree when she was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in 2022. This subsequently required she suspend her studies when her illness progressed. Elana's steadfast work ethic and exceptionally authentic personality has an enduring impact on others. In light of this, and her tenacity of battling ALS while in law school, a memorial scholarship was created in her honor at NSL. Elana's greatest joys are her family, all animals, and selflessly serving others through laughter and love.
She is preceded in death by her sister, Nellie Donde; her grandparents, Ida and Efim Epshteyn; and her dogs, Oreo, Cookie, and Buddy Donde.
Elana is survived by her daughters, Samantha (25) and Alexandra (21) Donde; her parents, Lyubov and Boris Donde; and her dogs, Cocoa, Gizmo, Daisy, and Gracie Donde.
A private celebration of life service is planned for the family. Any written cards or letters containing words of encouragement, special memories with Elana, and ways in which Elana made an exceptional impact in the life of another(s) are invited to be sent to her daughters as they grievingly reflect and continue working to carry on her legacy.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that memorial contributions be made to an ALS organization that has provided support to the family [The ALS Association (www.als.org), Racing for ALS (www.racingforals.com), and The Gleason Foundation (www.teamgleason.org), among others]. Additional memorial contributions are requested to be made to RescueVet in Memphis (Paypal: rescuevetmemphis@gmail.com / Venmo @rescuevetinc), a nonprofit animal rescue that has been supported by a dear friend of Elana's, in her honor.
Arrangements in the care of Compassion Funeral & Cremation Services, Nashville, TN (615) 857-9955. We proudly remain locally owned & operated.