Donna Lee Johnston

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Donna Lee Johnston

Wed, 08/05/2020 - 15:03
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Donna Lee Johnston, longtime Ponca City resident left this earth on Tuesday, July 28, 2020 in her home in Bartonville, Illinois surrounded by family, at the age of 78.

Donna was born January 1, 1942 in Betsy, Kentucky to Henry and Marie (Troxell) Barnette. She grew up in Creve Couer, Illinois and finished her schooling in East Peoria, Illinois.

In 1959 she married Walter “Red” Underwood (deceased) and of this union she had two sons. Her life and knowledge of bookkeeping led her to manage apartment complexes in Nashville, Tennessee where she met the love of her life, Francis Marion (Johnny) Johnston and in 1971 they married and of this union she had one son and one daughter. He was a custom home builder from Oklahoma and they traveled all over and finally settled in Ponca City in 1976. She continued working for various places using her bookkeeping skills and started working for Walmart in Ponca City in 1991. She retired from Walmart in 2011 after 20 years of service.

She was the type of person that never met a stranger and made friends easily. She has many friends she met while at Walmart that she continued to stay in touch with even after her retirement. Her hobbies included sewing, reupholstering furniture, and playing BINGO. She loved her grandbabies and great grandbabies and you could light up a room by the way she would beam when they would come to visit.

In early 2020 she became ill and decided she wanted to return to her “home” in Illinois. The family fulfilled her last wishes for her to be around her brothers and sisters and moved her to Bartonville, Illinois.

She is survived by her four children, Tony Underwood and his wife Jean of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Randy Underwood of the home in Bartonville, Illinois, Michael Johnston and his wife Mandy of Bartlesville, Oklahoma and her only daughter Suann Palmer and her husband David of Kaw City, Oklahoma. Four grandchildren, Blake Underwood and his wife Heather of Ponca City, Oklahoma, Matthew Aldridge of Carlsbad, New Mexico, and Mason and Morgan Johnston of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Three great grandchildren, Braylee, Maddox and Taylin Underwood of Ponca City, Oklahoma. Her sisters, Velda Andrus of Delphi, Indiana, Bonnie Caughey and her husband Bud of Mapleton, Illinois and her brother Mike Barnette of Creve Couer, Illinois. Numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, three brothers, Clarence (Sheila) Barnette of Tremont, Illinois, Bill (Eleanor) Barnette of East Peoria, Illinois, and Jay Barnette of Tremont, Illinois and one grandson Jay Underwood of Ponca City, Oklahoma.

The family will be hosting a celebration of life, where all family and friends are welcome to attend, on August 15, 2020 at 4015 S. Lafayette, Bartonville, Illinois at 1 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please make donations in her name to Humanity Hospice, 1109 N. Bryant Ave. Ste. 100, Edmond, Oklahoma 73034 or Transitions Hospice, 8914 N. Prairie Point, Peoria, Illinois 61615.