DONNA FAYE ROWNTREE (nee Witwicki), born on April 24, 1947 to John Michael Witwicki and Dorene Saccardo Witwicki Hammell, passed away peacefully at the St. Michael’s Palliative Care Unit on June 23, 2024 with family by her side. She left behind her husband of 57 years, Alan James Rowntree, her daughter, Shauna (Tim) Armstrong, her two grandchildren Logan and Kira Armstrong, and her sister Sherry Smeltzer.

Mom and Dad were married in Lethbridge on February 4, 1967 and had one daughter, two years later. After losing her father in 1967, she gained a new family in 1972 when her mother married Harold Hammell of Calgary. Together, there were now four more siblings, three stepsisters; Claudia (Doug) Norris, Harlene Day, Debbie (Ed) Sweep and one step brother; Clint Hammell.

Mom had a long career as a lab tech at the Lethbridge Municipal Hospital before becoming the Lab Manager and eventually, the Administrative Coordinator at the Chinook Regional Hospital. Always striving for further education, Mom returned to the University of Lethbridge and received her Management Certificate in 1991, all while continuing to work full time. She retired in 2002 at the age of 55 after putting in over 34 years at the hospital.

After retirement, Mom and Dad promptly bought a place down in Palm Springs, escaping the winters of Alberta for over 20 years. She loved the heat and the sun and spent her days hiking the trails in Palm Springs, walking everywhere she could and golfing. They made many friends down there and truly enjoyed their retirement years.

When they weren’t down south, Mom devoted all of her time at home with her daughter ‘s family, helping whenever she could and being the best grandma to her two grandkids, her pride and joy. She also enjoyed walking for hours or being on the golf course with the girls.
Another love of Mom’s was running, she belonged to the Runner’s Soul Marathon Club for many years, and completed numerous runs of all distances ranging from 5K to 50K, including the Boston Marathon in 2003. She made many friends in the running community over the years and thoroughly enjoyed running in the coulees with the “group” (you know who you are).

We lost a beautiful soul this week. She was my best friend, a loving wife, mother and mother-in-law, and the best grandma around. Rest peacefully Mom.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Ovarian Cancer Canada (ovariancanada.org) or any organization of your choosing.

 

To send a condolence, please visit www.cornerstonefuneralhome.com

• Date : 2024-06-23
• Location : Lethbridge, Alberta