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Donna Mae McRae
July 9, 1936 Nov. 4, 2016
Donna McRae
Donna Mae McRae sipping Sangria In Spain. - photo by Contributed to the Courier

Donna Mae McRae

July 9, 1936 - Nov. 4, 2016

Donna Mae McRae, 80, passed away peacefully, with family at her side, on Nov. 4, 2016, at Golden Age Home Care in Modesto. Thanks to Bethel Retirement Community, Paramount Court Senior Living, Golden Age Home Care, Provident Care and Optimal Hospice Care for their loving care provided these last four years.

Donna met her husband to be, Art, in 1959 as both were starting teaching careers at Ceres High School. They married in 1963 and son Kyle was born in 1968, with the family residing in Ceres for the last 53 years. Donna was a tremendous wife and mother to Art and Kyle, as well as an amazing, devoted teacher at Ceres High School and Modesto Junior College for more than four decades.

Born in Merced, Donna spent the first few years of her life in nearby Planada before her family moved to Modesto. A product of Modesto City Schools, Donna graduated from Modesto High School in 1954 and received a bachelor's degree in Spanish from San Jose State in 1959. Donna also traveled and studied extensively in Mexico. Among other multiple journeys were three independent travel trips to Europe, visiting Art's ancestors in Scotland, her brother Dave's family in Italy, and visits to Spain and many other countries.

Donna was an active participant in the Ceres/Modesto community, being a privileged member of the Ceres Persephone Club and a 10-year member of the Modesto Institute for Continued Learning (MICL). She grew up in the Dutch Reformed Church in Ripon and was a long-time member of Harvest Presbyterian Church in Ceres. She will be missed by many.

Survivors include Art, her loving husband of 53 years; son Kyle and daughter-in-law Buffy; granddaughter Nikki of Elk Grove; brother Dave Cheever (Rita) of Sardinia, Italy; sisters-in-law Cheryl Cheever of Campbell, Ina and Terry McRae of Montana; brother-in-law John McRae of Montana; and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. She was predeceased by her parents, Everett Cheever and Estella Cheever, along with her brother, Bill Cheever and brothers-in-law, Don and Al McRae of Montana.

A public memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10 at Harvest Presbyterian Church, 1813 Moffett Road, Ceres.

Donna's body was donated to the Stanford Willed Body Program.

The Ceres Lions Club has set up an education scholarship in her name and memorial gifts in Donna's memory can be made to fund the scholarship (P.O. Box 562, Ceres, CA 95307); or to the Alzheimer's Association (alz.org). Contact Art McRae at 484-1609 for more information.

A Celebration of Life luncheon will follow at Tuolumne River Lodge, 2429 River Road, Modesto, California. The Tuolumne River Lodge was the site of Donna and Art's wedding reception on June 9, 1963.

-Ceres (Calif.) Courier
Wednesday, November 30, 2016