Donna Jackson

DONNA JACKSON (BAILEY)

Donna was born to Orman and Caroline Bailey in San Francisco, California on August 4, 1946. She had two older brothers, Gary & Ronal Anderson, who predeceased her. Donna grew up in San Francisco until middle school, then her father moved the family to Clearlake Oaks, California, where they had a Quarter horse ranch. Horses became Donna’s passion, and she helped her father on the ranch taking care of the horses. She graduated from Lake County High School in 1964. She married her first husband and had daughter Chrissy Anderson (Jackson) She then met the love of her life Virgil Jackson in 1967 and they were married in November 1967, and they moved to Benicia, California. The family grew when they had daughter Kellie Booher (Jackson) and son, Mike Jackson, and they settled in Napa, California until 1978 when the family moved to Spokane, Washington. Donna grew up working in her parents’ bar & restaurant in Clearlake, but her ultimate (and most challenging) job was raising her kids.

The Jackson’s lived in multiple areas in and around Spokane. They purchased an acre lot on the Pend Oreille River in the early 90’s, where family and friends gathered for fun and fishing. They ultimately sold their house and property to buy their dream farm in Springdale in 2001, where they lived until 2019. Virgil and Donna put so much into remodeling the old house and making it their home, but in 2003, Donna suffered a major stroke that resulted in her left-side paralysis and inability to care for herself. She survived brain surgery that surgeons gave a less than 5% chance of her surviving. She proved them wrong and fought a long-hard battle to overcome as many deficits as possible. Her family rallied around her as she amazed even some of the most skeptical doctors. Over the 20 years since her stroke, she endured many painful battles and experienced many more setbacks as a result of her initial stroke. Her loving husband devoted his life to taking care of her and providing for them while he continued to work to support them until he ultimately retired in 2018.  Donna’s love for her family fueled her desire to overcome whatever life threw at her, even beating breast cancer just a couple of years ago. Her life had its challenges, but she lived it in the fullest way she possibly could, until recently suffering another stroke that made caring for her at home no longer safe. The family reluctantly placed her in a skilled nursing facility in June this year where she passed away on September 10, 2023.

Donna leaves behind her loving husband of nearly 56 years, Virgil Jackson, daughter Chrissy Anderson (Rick), daughter Kellie Booher (Russell), son Mike Jackson (Jenette), granddaughter Haley Smith, grandson Travis Booher, granddaughter Jacee Hanson (Nick), grandson Hunter Smith, grandson Gunner Jackson, granddaughter Sierra Winckler (Dean), granddaughter Jordyn Jackson, great-grandson Brady and great-granddaughter Rylie and 2 additional great grandbabies on their way.

Funeral service to be held at Riplinger Funeral Home, 4305 N. Division St, Spokane, WA on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. Small reception to immediately follow. Private interment at Woodland Cemetery, Deer Park, Washington.