The month of August brings Donna Palmer to the Spotlight. Donna is 78 years old, born on July 31, 1942 in Pueblo, Colorado at Parkview Hospital. She was born to Mary Louise, and Paul Clark. She has a younger brother: Richard Clark, who lives in Wellington Colorado.
She and her family moved to Durango, Colorado when she was 3 years old. Her father was always looking for better job opportunities, so they moved several times. She had been through 17 different schools before graduating from Central High School in Pueblo, Colorado in 1960. She enjoyed playing softball when she was in school.
Donna was working at MaBell Telephone company in Greely, Colorado, when her mother called her and told her about an elementary education program starting at Southern Colorado State College in Pueblo. She completed 2 years, graduating in 1967.
She became an elementary school teacher and taught 4th grade in Florence, Colorado for 2 ½ years, then at First Southern Baptist private school. After that she taught at Pueblo Christian School. She substituted when she was not working full time.
Donna was married in 1970, in Florence, Colorado at First United Methodist church. She inherited 3 children which included his son Keith William and daughters Deborah Jane, and Donna Colleen, who she helped raise. She welcomed her first born daughter Jean Louise in 1976, followed by her son William “Bill” David in 1979. They were both born at Fort Carson. Donna has a total of 11 grandchildren: 6 boys and 5 girls, and 4 great-grandchildren: 2 boys and 2 girls.
Donna has many hobbies, to which she has added jigsaw puzzles, and has made new friends who also enjoy puzzles. She is a member of Family Fellowship Center Church in Pueblo.
Donna moved to Villa Pueblo on November 2nd, 2018. She stated “This is my home. Everyone here has interesting lives.” “It is fascinating to sit down with different people overtime and observe the encounters and interactions between one another. It is surprising how many have graduated from the same High School or College. Many share similar memories from the past.”
A very common occupation most women here had was working the switchboards at a telephone company. Which Donna also did herself. This is a great conversation starter.
One person Donna has met, lived in Alaska during the Great Alaskan earthquake on Good Friday, March 27, 1964. This individual lived south of the affected area. The 9.2 magnitude earthquake affected the U.S. and Canada, and was followed by a large tsunami, changing areas completely. It was the second most powerful earthquake in record history.
Donna moved to Ft. Richardson, Alaska, with her family in 1970. On one trip they visited Whitter, Alaska. There were small strip markings on boards where the houses and businesses were originally built, that were totally wiped out. As a result of the great Alaskan earthquake and tsunami in 1964, a whole town was moved to higher ground. The fishing boats were also tossed up on land.
There is one resident who she taught with at Pueblo Christian School. They had an outstanding principal and learned many new techniques.
The most interesting experience Donna had, was when she met a gentleman who had followed her grandson when he played football at CSU Pueblo. During one of the conversations, he talked about his late wife, and to her surprise, Donna took care of her and her 2 siblings when they were under the age of two. She has enjoyed hearing about their life together, and they have become friends.
Another resident who studied music, sang in an outstanding well-known choir and she had a strong love for several types of music. A lot of residents enjoy singing, playing instruments, and listening to music. There are many who love to garden. In the past we had a couple who did a lot of upkeeping with plants. They are no longer able to do so, and we now have some newly joined residents who take care of all the outside plants. Many residents also have plants and small gardens on their balcony’s.
There was a resident who lived in Tennessee for a few years, who owned his own car repair shop. He rebuilt wrecked vehicles for resale. Another gentleman worked on small motors, such as Televisions, radios, etc. We also had a man move back to the Villa, which we are very thankful to have back. He generously shares his talent of photography and artistic skills.
There is always new people to greet but not enough time to get to know everyone. We are very proud to have Donna as a member of our Villa Pueblo Family.
