Donna Gail Dansby Washburn

Donna Gail Dansby Washburn, beloved sister, mother, grammie, great-grammie, and friend, passed away peacefully at her home of 48 years on August 8, 2026, at 8:55 p.m. surrounded by her family, following a two-year battle with multiple myeloma. She was 80 years old.

Donna was born on October 30, 1945, in Dallas, Texas, to Will T. and Wilma Dansby. She attended Baylor University before moving to Washington State in February 1968. She made the Sumner/Lake Tapps area her home, and over the years, Washington became much more than simply the place where she lived—it became her forever home. She loved Washington deeply.

She is survived by her son, Jim; daughter, Julie; grandchildren, Nicolus, Parker (Sarah), Carson, and Abigail; and great-grandchildren, Brendalynn, Penelope, and Blaire. She was preceded in death by her sister, Deanna (2002), and her parents, Wilma (1978) and Will T. Dansby (1999).

Donna was, in every sense, a woman of passion. When she loved something, she loved it completely. Music, square dancing, rainbows, Christmas ornaments, Sabercats hockey, Krystonia figurines, Jimmy Buffett, pugs, and, most recently, Pokémon—Donna didn't simply have interests; she embraced them wholeheartedly. Whatever captured her heart became something she loved without limit.

Donna's love reflected the woman she was: passionate, determined, stubborn, creative, colorful, and unmistakably her own.

“God saw she was getting tired and a cure was not to be. So he put his arms around her and whispered, “come with me.” With tear filled eyes we watched her suffer and fade away. Although we loved her deeply we could not make her stay. A rainbow heart stopped beating, loving hands put to rest. God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best!”