Dorothea Ann “Donna” Jolley, devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend, passed away July 23 at age 81, finally reunited with her husband, John R. (Jack) Jolley, who passed away in 2016.
She was born in Jamestown, New York, to the late Richard and Mabelle Meade on April 22, 1941, the first of 10 children.
She took her role as oldest seriously, providing a role model for her siblings and forging a bond with them that lasted her entire life.
She is survived by son David Walker Jolley of Aberdeen and his wife, Diana; daughters Karen Jolley Nikol and her husband, Greg, of Bel Air, and Christine Ann Jolley and her companion, Teddy Cadd, of Port Deposit; grandchildren Jonathan David Drewen of Red Lion, Pennsylvania, Christopher Richard Drewen of Bel Air, Samantha Ann Jolley of Aberdeen, and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren from blended families.
She also is survived by brothers Richard Meade and his wife, Linda, of Spring Branch, Texas, John Meade and his wife, Loraine, of Ripley, New York, William Meade and his wife, Shelia, of Hanover Park, Illinois, and James Meade and his wife, Mary, of Erie, Pennsylvania; sisters Marylin Meade of North Fort Myers, Florida, Martha Meade of Harbor Creek, Pennsylvania, Patricia Meade and her husband, John, of Erie, Pennsylvania, and Celia Fellows and her husband, Ed, of Ponce de Leon, Florida; and numerous children to whom she was Nana, through family and friendship.
She also devoted support to her sister-in-law, Judith Jolley of Aberdeen.
In addition to her husband and parents, she was preceded in death by her sister, Carol Gundling of Havre de Grace.
After graduating from St. Joseph’s School in Oil City, Pennsylvania, in 1959, she studied English at Villa Maria for two years, leaving to marry Jack as he began his Army career.
For the next two decades they traversed the nation with assignments that took them to military installations in Washington, Virginia, Georgia, Kansas, North Carolina and finally Maryland, where they began their civilian life in Aberdeen.
She worked at Harford Bank for more than 20 years.
A viewing will be held on Friday, July 29, 2022, from 5-8 PM at Zellman Funeral Home, PA, 123 South Washington Street, Havre de Grace, MD.
A Mass of Resurrection will be held on Saturday, July 30, 2022, at 11 AM at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church, 222 South Law Street, Aberdeen, MD.
Contributions may be made in her memory to Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, D.C., 20090-6011 or to the charity of your choice.
Online condolences may be made at www.zellmanfuneralhome.com.
