Agua Fria High School Alumni
Avondale, Arizona (AZ)
Donna E. Foster Obituary (1955 - 2024)
Born Sep 03, 1955, Donna E. Foster attended Agua Fria High School in Avondale, AZ. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Donna E. Foster.
| Graduation Year | Class of 1973 |
| Date of Birth | Sep 03, 1955 |
| Date of Passing | Jan 27, 2024 |
| About | Donna Evawn Foster, devoted wife for 35 years, loyal daughter, best sister ever, adoring mother, grandmother, former silver jewelry artisan, window treatment installer, administrator, and resident of Roswell, New Mexico for more than 40 years, passed away on January 27, 2024, in El Paso, Texas following an operation to remove brain tumors. She was only 68 years of age and bravely battled cancer, COPD, heart failure, migraines, and rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, for most of her adult life. Life dealt Donna ten ACEs cited in the original study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente's Health Appraisal Clinic in San Diego, scientifically proven to cause health consequences due to toxic stress. Sadly, Donna could not defy the statistical odds of the ACEs studies. Donna Evawn Foster was born on September 3, 1955, in Visalia, California, to Carole Inez Latham Foster and David Ellis Foster, Sr. Her sister, Daina, remembers when her parents brought baby Donna from the hospital to the car where her siblings were waiting. Donna looked like a perfect baby. David was a Korean War veteran and carpenter. Carole was a seamstress and assembly-line worker in California and Arizona from the 1950s to 1970s. Carole and her second husband moved to New Mexico following his retirement from the United States Air Force in the 1980s, where she restored homes and worked as an interior designer, remarried, and owned and operated a car dealership and a security business. Donna and her siblings witnessed an auto/trailer/big rig accident when she was five that caused debilitating injuries to her parents, loss of all possessions, about nine months in foster care, and extreme poverty. As a child, Donna was a delightful, intelligent, curly-haired girl who excelled academically with seemingly little effort. When she was about 13 years old, some considered Donna a “wild child” in the 1960s due to events that stole her Agua Fria Union High School education, with her Class of 1973, and likely negatively impacted her self-image. While shopping at Kmart with a friend, Donna’s friend placed a shoe (not her size) in Donna’s coat without her knowledge. The authorities arrested Donna and her friend for shoplifting. Then, Donna’s mother and stepfather placed Donna in The Good Shepherd School for Girls, where she learned to make shepherd’s pie and clean floors with a toothbrush. Despite her family’s attempts at tough love, Donna loved her entire family. She worried about them, supported them, forgave them whether or not they apologized, and always loved them. As a young woman, Donna resembled actress Lynda Carter, who played Wonder Woman in the 1970s. Donna’s then three-year-old daughter, Dionna, believed her mom was Wonder Woman on television! Although Donna was not Wonder Woman, she saved the day often. She recovered “destroyed” records that kept a family business, cared for her niece who had a bad case of chicken pox so that her mom could work, and helped her sister and niece move. Donna was a selfless, loving person who was generous with her time, energy, resources, and friendship. Donna had a fantastic sense of humor and an adventurous spirit. She was the fun mom whose focus was memory-making holidays, birthdays, etc., unlike her sister, the serious mom whose focus was schedules and order. Donna, who was not a disciplined housekeeper, instructed her precocious four-year-old daughter, Dionna, to tidy her room. Dionna, as dramatic as a silent screen actress, placed her forearm across her forehead and proclaimed, “I can’t! It’s dangerous in there!” (Aunt Daina helped Dionna organize her room.) Donna was not squeamish when her son, David, a bright-eyed little boy with dirt on his face, gleefully brought lizards and bugs inside. In the end, the fun memories are what matters. The birth of Donna’s granddaughter, Breanna, began a new chapter in her life. She helped to raise Breanna, whom she lovingly nicknamed “Boo.” Donna was proud of Breanna’s academic achievements and mature attitude. Breanna was one of Donna’s caregivers from the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis to the end of Donna’s life. They spent most of their days together, sharing meals, playing cards, and watching movies. Donna was open to life and everyone around her so that others could be themselves. Donna would want Breanna to be available for educational opportunities and not just accept life’s challenges. Before she was ill, Donna was an exceptional crafter and made large orbs fashioned from Christmas tree lights. She enjoyed cooking, baking pies from scratch, gardening, and studying at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell. Donna was also self-sufficient with home and car maintenance and repairs. Donna was preceded in death by her husband, Michael Lynn Swope (1957-2020); father, David Ellis Foster, Sr. (1925-1995); brother, Donald Eldon Foster (1954-1972); nephew, Stephen Dee Foster (1985-2010); paternal grandparents, Elbert Vernon Foster (1893-1979) and Dydamie Young (1901-1985); maternal grandparents, Barney Reece Latham (1901-1971) and Ruby Esther Stephens (1902-1997). Family members who deeply miss Donna are her son, David F. Bang (Stacy) of Chicago, Illinois; daughter, Dionna Mosley; granddaughter, Breanna Saenz; mother, Carole Burnette; brother, David E. Foster, Jr. (Connie); and niece, Kezia Pieratt (Jeremey); grandniece, Jordyn Garcia, all of Roswell, New Mexico; sister, Daina E. Foster, and niece, Emily N. Gentry of Las Cruces, New Mexico; nephew, Donald Foster (Melissa) of Midland, Texas; grandniece, Alexandra Gentry of Albuquerque, New Mexico; and former husband, Lars Jorgen Bang of Copenhagen, Denmark. To have known Donna is to be truly blessed. Donna's family will announce a celebration of her life at a later date. |
Daina Foster '69 posted a photo:
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