Donna D. Michels

Donna D. Michels, 96, passed away Wednesday, April 3, 2019.

Memorial Service: Noon, Saturday, at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 5001 Crestline Road, Ft. Worth, 76107.

Inurnment: All Saints’ Episcopal Church Columbarium.

Memorials: The Donna Michels Scholarship Fund at All Saints’ Episcopal School.

Donna D. Davis was born July 9, 1922 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She lived with her mother and stepfather, Lora and M.G. Alsever, moving throughout the farm belt during the Great Depression. They often made their home in a car-towed travel trailer parked at gas stations while M.G. worked as a traveling bank representative. They finally settled in Windom, Minnesota – deep in corn country – where she attended high school. She soon met Raymond Michels at Windom High School. They married on May 24, 1944 during Raymond’s brief period of rest and relaxation during WWII. Raymond was a B-24 pilot stationed in England.

The next 20 years were spent as an Air Force wife, traveling from base to base every 2-3 years. Donna and her family were transferred to Carswell AFB in Ft. Worth Texas in 1960, where they joined All Saint’s Episcopal Church. In their various Air Force postings, Donna received two Commander Awards for service in Christian Education. Facing yet another transfer, Raymond retired from the Air Force in 1964.

Donna became very active in the church, donating her time to the infant nursery, Sunday school, Vacation Bible School and the choir. At the time, All Saints had a small parochial school with class rooms in the church undercroft. Donna was hired as a four-year-old class room teacher. She soon taught one of the first grade classes and became teacher/principal in 1964. As the school expanded, she shepherded it’s moves to ever larger facilities. Because of the growing demands of the job, she reluctantly gave up her role as a first-grade teacher in 1971 to become Principal, and became Director of the Schools in 1977. She remained in the classroom as the religion teacher until she retired from the school in 1988.

After her retirement, she continued to serve All Saints’ Church as superintendent of the Sunday Schools and Vacation Bible School, Vestry member, Diocesan Convention Delegate, and untiring volunteer. She remained active in St. Anne’s Guild and the Choir until her limited mobility made this impossible.

It is impossible to list the full scope of her service and accomplishments – that list is too broad and expansive. She was also active in the Texas Episcopal School Association, the Association of Southwestern Episcopal Schools, she was one of the first female Vestry members, she served lunches, she drove the bus, she ran the concession stand at the school basketball games, she played ‘Dolly’ in the faculty follies. She established the first PTO. She was a frugal and shrewd manager of budgets. She would sweep the school sidewalks if it was needed, and there was no one else around to do it… there was no task too large or too humble.

She has been a beacon and inspiration to thousands of lives who have been touched by her love and life.

Survivors: She has three children; seven grand-children; four great-grandchildren, and twenty-one God children.