Donna Rose Clark

Donna Rose Herbison was born on Sunday, May 29, 1932 in Southgate, California to Ralph and Elsie Herbison. In 1933 there was a big earthquake and Donna and her family moved into tents on her aunt’s property for several weeks until the houses were repaired and were safe to move back into. When she was very young, they moved to Downey, California, near large orange groves and a corn field, and lived on a small farm where they had a garden, raised geese, chickens, rabbits and goats. WWII came and large aircraft guns were camouflaged and put in the orange groves around the school nearby. After a night of air raids, total darkness and big guns going off in the orange groves, her dad decided to move his family away from the Los Angeles area to the quiet town of Westwood, California where her Aunt Myrtle lived.

Donna’s father’s job relocated the family a few places over the next years including Ferndale, Washington, and eventually ended up in Red Bluff, California, buying and managing the Los Robles Grocery Store for several years. Donna met the love of her life, Albert Miles Clark, and they were married at the Presbyterian Church in Reno, Nevada on July 7, 1950. For their honeymoon, they traveled to Reno, Quincy, Westwood, Mount Lassen and Crater Lake, Oregon. Donna graduated from Red Bluff Union High School in 1951.

Donna and Albert had 4 children, Diana, Cheryl, Gayle and Brenda from 1952 until 1958.

Donna and Albert loved vacationing along the coast of California and Oregon, packing up the kids and camper and traveling to campgrounds such as Patrick’s Point, Gold Beach, Jedediah Smith State Park, going to cities like Coos Bay, Brookings and also visiting the Redwood, Dad loved the ocean and mom loved the mountains.

Mom enjoyed knitting, crocheting, sewing and quilting. She and dad were members of the Order of the Easter Star. Mom and Dad held all of the chairs up through Worthy Matron and Worthy Patron.

Mom went to Cosmetology School in the 60’s and after successfully completing the program, she briefly worked at the Tremont Hotel with Floyd’s Beauty Salon. Dad built a beauty shop in our home, the “Silhouette Beauty Shop” and she worked part time for a number of years.

Mom loved traveling and seeing new places. In 1971, she accompanied her daughter, Diana on a trip through Chico State to England and Wales. She and Dad traveled to many states, to include Oahu, in the Hawaiian Islands. Her daughter, Cheryl lived in Germany for many years, and her and dad traveled all over Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Belgium, Holland, and Liechtenstein. Mom has also traveled numerous times to Alaska, and enjoyed going on wildlife and glacier cruises and feeding the reindeer at the reindeer farm.

Mom and Dad celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in July of 2000.

She is preceded in death by her husband Albert in January 2002, and her sister, Barbara in December 2014. Donna is survived by four daughters, Diana Rose Clark, of Cloverdale, Oregon, Cheryl Marie Ragan (Stan), of Eagle River, Alaska, Gayle Lynn Reed (Douglas), of Red Bluff, California and Brenda Sue Griggs, of Las Vegas, Nevada, 10 Grandchildren and 18 Great Grandchildren.