Donna JoAnn Glynn

Donna JoAnn Glynn was an extraordinary woman who lived a vibrant and gratifying life centered on her love for her family and friends, grounded in her commitment to helping others both through her career and her volunteer work, and sustained by her quiet faith.

Donna learned at a very young age to meet challenges head-on, and her incredible strength of will, resilience and perseverance were hallmarks of her entire life. She was an ophthalmic technician and surgical assistant, a gardener, a traveler, a voracious reader, an enthusiast for healthy living and exercise, and a believer in giving back. But where she excelled above all else was in her commitment to others: as a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend.

Donna was born Donna JoAnn Downing on August 8, 1939, in LaPorte City, Iowa, the eighth of nine children of George Powell Downing and Bernice Arlene Downing. Her parents were farmers, and she was born at home. Donna loved school, was a good student and had many friends, an early indicator of her ability to make and keep friends throughout her entire life.

Donna met Richard Leverne Glynn early in high school, and said she knew immediately – and said as much to her best friend, Bonnie – that he was the one for her. They were married right out of school, on August 25, 1957, in Moberly, Mo. They had two sons, Daniel and Stephen, before they were 20, and a daughter, Judy, four years later. There were some rough times financially for the young family, and many moves – St. Charles, St. Louis, Moberly, Kansas City, and finally back to St. Charles, where they built a house that was truly their own and put down roots. She and Richard worked hard, weathered the tough times, and remained in love and devoted to each other for more than six decades.

Donna worked most of her life, but didn’t find the job she truly loved until she was nearly 40, when she went to work as an ophthalmic technician at the St. Charles Eye Center for Drs. Robert Fleming and Michael Connelly. She soon became the center’s head technician and was instrumental in helping to build and maintain the practice. When she was given an opportunity to become the doctors’ surgical assistant she leaped at the chance. She had always wanted to be a surgeon, but had been unable to afford the schooling, so becoming a surgical assistant was for her the next best thing. Her life grew more hectic when two more doctors were added to the practice, but because one of them was a retina specialist it gave her the opportunity to learn even more about repairing damaged eyes and helping others.

All three of her children graduated college and were hard-working and successful in their chosen fields, and she was extremely proud of all of them. She was quite happy and proud that each of them found love and lifelong partners and knew the joys of having their own families; she was also able to instill her own character strengths of resilience and perseverance in her children.

Donna had seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren and one of her greatest joys was spending time with them – reading, baking cookies, playing games, and helping them unleash their imaginations. For the children, there was nothing like spending an afternoon, a weekend, or even a summer week or more at Granny’s house.

Donna loved gardening and could grow almost anything. Her prize-winning gardens were admired by everyone. She also loved to read and to embroider beautiful things for her friends and family. She was an avid cyclist for decades, riding 10-20 miles a day until the age of 78, when she had to switch to a stationary bike because of safety considerations.

She also loved to travel, and when they retired, she and Richard bought an RV and traveled throughout the United States. She also secretly planned a once-in-a-lifetime Hawaiian vacation for them, an experience they absolutely loved and talked about for years.

Donna always believed in giving back and volunteered most of her life. She helped start the first Lindenwood University suicide hotline in St. Charles, and worked for several years for Youth in Need, a refuge for troubled and abused teens in St. Charles. She later worked at the Crisis Nursery, where parents in need could bring their babies or small children when they had appointments or interviews, or just needed a break.  When she found out her first grandchild was on the way, Donna committed to sponsoring a young girl and giving her a better life through Save the Children. She found the effort rewarding, and continued to sponsor children through the organization for more than 30 years. When she was nearly 70, she began volunteering at her local library, where among other things she learned to use a computer and enter county obituary records on Excel spreadsheets. She also helped start a book club at the library and made many close friends there.

Donna was always a very social person and made friends easily. And when she made friends they became friends for life; she still kept in touch with people she had known in grade school. She loved going out with friends for lunch, and staying in touch through letters, phone calls, and, more recently, Facebook. The connection of friendship was one of her greatest joys, and to know Donna was to know that you always had someone who would be there for you.




In lieu of flowers, Donna requested that donations be made in her name to Youth in Need, 1815 Boone’s Lick Road, St. Charles, Mo. 63301; 636-946-5600. Donations can also be made online at youthinneed.org.




Surviving to honor Donna’s memory are:

Husband:  Richard L. Glynn

Children and daughters- and son-in-law: Daniel R. Glynn (Lori Glynn), St. Paul, Mo.; Stephen M. Glynn (Cecilia Cummings), Philadelphia, Pa.; and Judy K. Glynn (Tom Schoenborn), Columbia, Ill.

Grandchildren: Amanda Craig (Danny Craig), O’Fallon, Mo.; Joshua Glynn, O’Fallon, Mo.; Flannery Cummings-Glynn, Elkins Park, Pa.; Schuyler Cummings-Glynn (Ashley Ross), Horsham, Pa.; Joffrey Cummings-Glynn, Philadelphia, Pa.; Trent Schoenborn, Minneapolis, Mn.; and Oliver Schoenborn, Columbia, Ill.

Great-grandchildren: Kailey Hetherington, Jaxton Cummings-Glynn, Shaelin Donnelly, Adrianna Kelly, Mia Rodriquez, Teddy Craig, Ella Craig, Leila Cummings-Glynn, Mason Cummings-Glynn and Cameron Cummings-Glynn.

Sisters and brothers: Betty Sherrets, Independence, Ia; Marian Rice, Moberly, Mo.; Gene Downing, St. Charles, Mo.; David Downing (Lila), Higbee, Mo.; and Roger Downing (Jan), LaCrosse, Wa.

Sisters- and brothers-in-law:  Marian Downing, Moberly, Mo.; Kaye Downing, Hillsboro, Mo.; Carol Larkin, St. Peters, Mo.; Cheryl Glynn, St. Peters, Mo.; and Donald Glynn (Grace), St. Charles, Mo.

Donna was preceded in death by her father George Powell Downing; mother Bernice Arlene (Schrader) Downing; brothers James H. Downing, Robert H. Downing and Clifford P. Downing; brothers-in-law James J. Rice and Richard Sherrets; and sisters-in-law Shirley Downing and Anna Glynn.