Donna Jean Carroll-Griffin

With profound sadness, we announce the passing of Donna Jean Carroll-Griffin, our beloved wife, mother, grandmother (GG), sister and aunt. Donna Jean (affectionately known by her family as Deannie), age 63, passed away peacefully with her husband and daughter by her side in Denver, CO on August 15th, 2020. She was born in Piqua, Ohio to Birdie Mae (Baker) and Donald Carroll, both who preceded her in death. Donna Jean was the beautiful wife to Carlnell Griffin, beloved mother to Heather (David) Quinn, Sina (Wayne) Thimas, doting grandmother to Wayne Jr., Makayla, Mahki, Chloe, and Caitlin, loving sister to Linda (Carroll) Baker, Debby Gorham (Joe), Robert Carroll (Julie), Jeannie Carroll, Donald (Penni) Carroll, Carolyn Griffin, Alden Griffin, Albert Griffin, John Griffin, and Irene Griffin and aunt to numerous nieces and nephews. As a child, Donna Jean enjoyed spending time with her parents, grandma and siblings. She enjoyed fishing, singing with the Salvation Army choir, playing baseball, basketball, badminton, and cards. She had fond memories of fishing with her grandma Nellie along the The Great Miami River in Ohio. At the top of the hill, her brother Robert would call out “Grab Grandma!” as her elderly grandmother would sprint down the levee bank in her quest to go fishing. Once safely on shore, Donna Jean enjoyed spending the whole day with Nellie, patiently waiting to catch “the big one.” From an early age, Donna Jean knew the meaning of hard work. As a teenager, she had a job detasseling corn. She often stood up for workers’ rights on the farm. Because she was such a caring and giving person, she gave a portion of whatever meager wages she had earned to her dad so that he could buy himself lunch. She worked diligently and strived for good grades in school. After graduating from Piqua High School, she quickly advanced to Head Typist at Wilson Accounting Service. In 1979, Donna and her family moved to Colorado. Although she worked a very demanding full-time job, she always made her family a priority. She tried her best to balance the responsibilities of working while raising a family. In her 20’s and 30’s Donna Jean loved playing cards, going dancing with her good friends, bowling, and spending time with her daughter. She enjoyed the challenges of working retail as the head cashier at Sam’s Club, where she worked for 14 years. On Jan. 8, 1999, Donna Jean married the love of her life Carlnell Griffin. They were blessed to spend 24 wonderful years together. They enjoyed spending their free time playing with their grandchildren, gardening, fishing, and traveling the U.S. Some of her favorite places were Niagara Falls, Tennessee (visiting Graceland and the Titanic were her highlights), and Mount Rushmore. Donna Jean had an eclectic taste in movies and television; she watched The Titanic, I Love Lucy, and Aliens ad nauseum. After her retirement, Donna Jean enjoyed being a homemaker (or, as she referred to it, Domestic Goddess). Her daughter, Heather, a schoolteacher and mother of two, would often reach out to her mom for help with childcare, school and home projects: babysitting, setting up her classroom, sewing, ironing, just to name a few—and without hesitation, Donna Jean would always pitch in. Being the amazing mother she was, she didn’t mind, in fact, she enjoyed helping out whenever she could. Donna Jean also was a master chef in the kitchen. She was known for making amazing hot wings paired with a huge veggie tray. Her grandchildren were everything to her. She loved them so dearly and enjoyed spending time with them. Donna Jean tried to attend every event that they were involved in. She lived close to her youngest granddaughters and loved being part of their daily lives. She made it a point to attend school performances, swimming lessons, and rock-climbing classes. They loved having her there and would often wave excitedly as Donna Jean would cheer them on. Although her older grandchildren were in Rhode Island, she enjoyed watching videos of Makayla and Mahki play lacrosse and basketball and Wayne Jr. on the football field. She was so proud to watch three of her grandchildren graduate from high school. She really valued education and was so incredibly proud of her daughters for attending college and earning advanced degrees. Immediate family held a Celebration of Life in Colorado for Donna Jean on August 29, 2020. Butterflies were released, boats with messages to her were sailed, a slideshow of her life was watched, and lottery tickets were scratched (she got a kick out of scratch tickets and playing slot machines). Most of all, family came together to remember the beautiful life of Donna Jean Carroll-Griffin. She will be laid to rest with her parents in Piqua, Ohio at a later date this fall. Donna Jean is loved and missed by so many. We will carry her memory on forever. Until we meet again.