Donna Patricia Joyce

She was born on May 29, 1944, in Hartford, Conn., to the late Laura (Joyce) Dow of Manchester, N.H., and the late Stewart Dow of Perham, Maine. The family settled in Manchester, with Donna graduating from St. Joseph High School for Girls with honors in 1962.

In 1964, she married Boyd Jajesnica of Manchester, whose executive sales job took the family to several cities in the Midwest, before they finally settled in Palatine, Ill. The couple had four daughters between 1965 and 1969, all of whom Donna raised to become college graduates, accomplished professionals and fiercely independent women and devoted mothers.

While raising her children Donna went back to school, earning two master’s degrees, one in special education and another in social work. She then served as an early childhood educator before transitioning to a career as a social worker at Barrington (Ill.) High School. Donna and Boyd retired in Lake Barrington Shores, Ill., with Donna recently moving back to Palatine after her husband’s death in 2016.

Donna was an avid reader and traveler, and also cherished time with her many local friends and her relatives in New England. Perhaps her greatest love after her retirement was visiting her children and grandchildren, rarely missing a concert, a ball game, a school function, a 4-H Fair or a hospital stay, even if it meant traveling to Indiana or New Jersey. For 19 straight years, Donna also attended the family’s treasured weeklong summer beach vacations, which always included her four daughters, their husbands and her seven grandchildren.

Donna leaves behind her daughters, Laura (James) Bottorff of Chicago, Ill.; Christine (Scott) Pappas of Lake Zurich, Ill; Stephanie (Robert) Olson of Crystal Lake, Ill.; and Sarah (Patrick) Foye of Pine Brook, N.J. Her surviving grandchildren are Margaret (Will) Nagai-Singer of Blacksburg, Va.; Katherine Nagai of Valparaiso, Ind.; Matthew and Eric Pappas of Lake Zurich, Ill., Rebecca and Kevin Olson of Crystal Lake, Ill.; and Adam Foye of Pine Brook, N.J.

Visitation with the family will be held on Friday, February 28, 2020, from 4-8 p.m., at the Lutheran Church of the Atonement, 909 E. Main St., in Barrington, Ill. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 29, 2020 at 11 a.m., also at the Lutheran Church of the Atonement followed by a luncheon for family and friends.

Donations may be made in the name of Donna Joyce to Team Titin supporting rare muscle disorder initiatives. Working toward better understanding titin and developing a cure for titin was very dear to her heart. https://team-titin.funraise.org/fundraiser/sarah-foye-04a1558?fundraiserPrompt=1124221