Donna Mae Heiring

Donna Mae Heiring (nee Luglan), 87, Athens, GA, passed away on February 27, 2022.

Donna was born on February 4, 1935, in Des Moines, Iowa.  Her mother and father owned The Grill Cafe on the courthouse square in the small town of Eldora, Iowa, where her dad was the cook and her mom was the bookkeeper and ran the front of the house, and in her teenage years Donna was a waitress there.  She graduated from Eldora High School in 1952, and was involved in many activities, including Vice President of the Senior Class, girls basketball and golf teams, Pep Club, Glee Club, Mixed Chorus, and Thespians.  She went off to college at Lindenwood University and eventually transferred to the University of Iowa, where she met a dashing young fellow named George Heiring in Art History class.  Legend has it they met because, when the lights dimmed and the professor started droning on and on about old paintings, Donna would fall asleep, and her head would drop onto George’s shoulder.  The rest, as they say, is history.  They ran off and got married right after George’s graduation in June of 1955, and they stayed married for the next 66 years, until George’s death last July.  In the meantime they had four children, Vicki, Paul, Gayle, and Steve.

Donna was a devoted mother and wife and supporter of George’s career, moving their young family many times as George worked his way up the corporate ladder.  She was an avid sports fan, and rarely missed one of her kids’ basketball, baseball, or softball games, or one of their horse shows.  She was smart, sassy, lovely, and had a great sense of humor.  She was both no-nonsense and extremely kind, which is a rare combination.  While she had high expectations for her children, she also realized it would not kill them to miss a day of school now and then, and she would allow Paul to stay home from school to watch important World Series games with her, or take Gayle out of school to go downhill skiing, or take Steve out of high school so they could go to the racetrack together.  With that kind of attitude it is no surprise that she was also a much-loved grandmother, doting on her grandchildren and hosting them for week-long visits that she and George called “Camp Heiring.”  She was an adventurer at heart, and in her later years she and George travelled extensively to remote places all over the globe, and she was a featured character in George’s recently published book about their adventures called “When Do The Lions Eat?”  She was an accomplished bridge player, gardener, and lifelong reader and book club member.  She believed strongly in educational opportunities for women, and was active in the Georgia Chapter of P.E.O. International, and for many years she was involved in a literacy program in the Putnam County Schools where she worked one-on-one with young kids struggling to read.

Donna is survived by three of her children and their spouses, Paul and Jessie, Gayle and Gary, and Steven and Susan, and seven grandkids Drew, Ali, Stephanie, Cameron, Hannah, Harrison, and Justine (all of whom she adored).  She was preceded in death by her daughter Vicki and her husband George.

A celebration of Donna’s life will be held on Sunday, March 20, at 1 p.m., at the Eatonton First United Methodist Church, with a reception following.  In lieu of flowers, she would have appreciated donations to the P.E.O. Foundation, 3700 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA  50312 (donations can also be made online).

Lord & Stephens Funeral Home, EAST, Athens is in charge of arrangements. www.lordandstephens.com