Obituary of Donna Fern Stanley

April 19, 1936 – Antioch, California, USA

June 7, 2024 – Calgary, Alberta

Donna Fern Stanley (nee Green) passed away peacefully on the evening of Friday, June 7, 2024, with her daughter Susan by her side. Donna spent her final days surrounded by family and listening to hymns that she always loved. She was predeceased by her daughter Karen Stanley, her sister Dixie (Green) Ubrick, her parents, Susie Helen (Hiebert) Green and Hubert Clyde Green, her grandparents, and several uncles, aunts, and cousins.

Donna was born in Antioch, California, in 1936 to parents Susie and Clyde Green. She spent her early years with her siblings, Dwayne and Dixie, surrounded by her many cousins, aunts, and uncles who all lived in the same neighbourhood. Donna was a member of several school and church choirs and was a majorette in high school. Despite her middle school classmates predicting that she’d become a flight attendant, Donna went on to become a nurse and graduated from the Kaiser Permanente School of Nursing in Oakland, California, in 1957. Upon graduation, she worked at the Alta Bates Hospital. In 1959, she met her loving Canadian husband, Harold (Hal) Robert Stanley, while he was visiting San Francisco on a business trip. They married in the Immanuel Baptist Church on June 18, 1960, and moved to Calgary, AB, Canada.

In Calgary, Donna worked as an operating room nurse at the Holy Cross Hospital until she had her daughter Susan in 1963. She went back to work as a nurse in a doctor’s office and later became the first female pharmaceutical rep in Alberta. She was also the Education Coordinator for the Canadian Cancer Society, where she led anti-smoking initiatives. She then got her real estate license and decided to start The Diet Centre in Calgary in 1980, which she ran until she retired.

Beyond her many career accomplishments, Donna was a member of the Junior League and loved to sing as a member of the Sweet Adelines Choir, which performed at the 1988 Olympic Games. In her free time, Donna was an incredible sewer and an amazing baker. She loved to read, play golf (once hitting a hole-in-one), listen to the birds chirp in her backyard, and spend time at the cherished family cabin on Shuswap Lake that she and Hal spent years building together.

To say that Donna was an incredible woman would be an understatement. She will be remembered for her strong faith, her immense love for her husband and family, and her tenacity, which gave her the courage and strength to always stand up for what she believed was right, and to always press on when faced with difficulty. She is lovingly remembered by her husband Harold Robert Stanley, brother Dwayne Green (Dorine Green), daughter Susan Elizabeth (Stanley) Winnitoy, and grandchildren, Kaylee Michele Winnitoy (Stephen Sills), Michael Robert Terry Winnitoy, and Brittney Marie Winnitoy.

Funeral Services will be held at McInnis & Holloway (Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB) on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. Reception to follow in the Hospitality Centre at the Funeral Home. Family Only Graveside Service to follow at Eden Brook Memorial Gardens.

Family and friends who are unable to attend in person are invited to join Donna’s service streamed live (see link below) on the day of the service. For those who are unable to view live, a recording of the service will be posted.

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed with Donna’s family here.

In living memory of Donna Fern Stanley, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.

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