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Obituary and life story submitted by the family

D

onna Preston Mannion, age 80, of Oriental, NC died peacefully at home on February 4, 2020. She is survived by Richard Mannion, her loving husband of 38 years. Her celebration of life service will be held at Oriental United Methodist Church, Oriental, NC on March 7, time to be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Oriental United Methodist Church, 404 Freemason Street, Oriental, NC 28571.

Donna was born on October 8, 1939, in Grafton, West Virginia. She graduated from Mount Vernon Academy in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and worked for the Gillette Company for 35 years as a systems analyst in both Washington, DC and Boston, MA. It was through her love of sailing that she met her husband, Dick, as members of the Pelagic Sailing Club in Boston where Donna served a term of Commodore.

Donna and Dick spent 20 years sailing the beautiful waters of New England. Their sense of adventure led them to leave their beloved New England port in 1998 and set sail for the Bahamas where they cruised together for two years aboard Donna’s favorite boat, Wind Melody, a 39-foot Corbin. Upon returning from the Bahamas, Donna and Dick sailed to Oriental, NC, and within days rented a cottage for the summer. They never left.

Donna was very active in the Sailing Club of Oriental, and an active volunteer in the community for 22 years.

She was a member of the Sara Veal Circle at Oriental United Methodist Church and the “Bookies” Book Club. She shared her avid interest in plants and gardening with friends, providing consultation on planning and executing their gardens.

More recently, Donna coordinated the planning and installation of the Prayer Gardens at the Community Labyrinth, near the river shore in Oriental. In addition to overseeing the garden’s design and layout, she chose all plants for the gardens around the labyrinth, and developed a maintenance schedule for the ongoing care and beautification of the labyrinth gardens.

Donna and Dick did not limit their traveling to sailing adventures. They visited South America, New Zealand, and Europe, to name but a few. In 2013, they embarked on their dream vacation – a 47-day cruise around the world with stops in 17 countries.

Donna is survived by husband, Richard; step-children Richard Jr. of Springvale, Maine, Jane McKinley (husband Dave) of Bluffton, S.C; Susan Campbell of Bluffton, SC; nieces Debra and Jan Jennings of Grafton, WV; nephew Stan Jennings of Chandler, NC; thirteen grandchildren and nine great grandchildren.

Posted Thursday February 6, 2020 by Allison DeWeese