Genevieve "Jean" Donaldson

Genevieve “Jean” Donaldson of Morrisville, NC, formerly of Port Richey, FL, passed away at UNC Rex Hospital, Raleigh, NC, on January 28, 2021, at 89 years of age (or as she liked to say, “going on 90”).

She was born Genevieve Frances Filaski on December 15, 1931 in Mineola, NY, the second child to the late Edward and Frances Filaski, lifelong small business owners. Her husband, Roy Edward Donaldson, a retired Master Sergeant in the US Air Force and honored veteran, predeceased her in 1972 and her devoted companion, Willis “Squire” Bergen, also an honored veteran, predeceased her in 2002. Her older brother, Robert Filaski “Uncle Bob” and his wife, “Aunt Kitty” have also predeceased her.

Survivors include her daughter, Gale (Woolf) Matthews and husband Robert J. Matthews of Charleston, SC; son, Rodger Edward Donaldson and wife Elaine of Port Murray, NJ; grandson, Dr. Shane K. Woolf and wife Jennifer; great-granddaughters, Kelby Anne Woolf (age 7) and her namesake, Mackenzie Jean Woolf (age 5), all of Charleston, SC; step-grandsons Robert A. Matthews of Philadelphia, PA and Brett C. Matthews of Miami, FL; step-granddaughters, Lynnette K. Matthews of Atlanta, GA and Stacie Bergenback Wydner of Stroudsburg, PA; along with her nephews in the Filaski family and many Matthews, Woolf, and Donaldson extended family members.

Marriage to a career nco in the Air Force made for a busy and exciting life with the opportunity to travel and to live in several states, including Fort Dix, NJ where her daughter was born and Wichita Falls, TX near Sheppard Air Force Base, where her son was born. The family shipped out from Texas for what was to be the last Air Force assignment in Oslo, Norway, where they lived until returning to Hackettstown, NJ in 1960. Jean retired to Florida in 1982 where she spent many happy years enjoying “retired life” with the help of “Uncle” Squire, her first poodle, “Brandi”, and several dear friends. Still on the move, she lived in several different towns in Florida over the years and enjoyed many cruises and other travel adventures. Having had enough of the “joys of home ownership” and to be closer to family members living in the Carolinas, Jean and her second poodle, “Misty”, relocated to Preston Pointe senior community in the Raleigh, NC area in 2013. She enjoyed 8 years at Preston Pointe, making new friends and taking part in many activities and events offered in the community, and especially exceled at “Wii Bowling”. She was fortunate to have been able to welcome the birth of her great-granddaughters in 2013 and 2015, and to become “Nani” to them as she has been to their father before them. She will be greatly missed by all.

Cremation arrangements are being handled by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home in Cary, NC, and a memorial service will be held in the spring with interment at Union Cemetery, Hackettstown, NJ.

If desired, memorial donations may be made to the WakeMed Foundation, 3000 New Bern Ave., Raleigh, NC, 27610; wakemedfoundation.org; (919)-350-7656; directed to the “Gifts of Gratitude Program” in appreciation for the many years of excellent cardiac care she received.