Donna Marie (Boll) Moller

Obituary Notice for Donna M Moller

Our beloved Mother, Donna Moller, 97, of Gig Harbor Washington, passed away peacefully at home in the company of her Family and friends. Born January 2nd 1919 in Antigo Wisconsin to Richard and Anna Boll. Preceded in Death by her Husband Carl Moller, and her Son Carl Jr (Corky). She is survived by her Sister Marion Teske, Daughter Elizabeth Ann Messineo (Betty), and Sons Kenneth James, Michael Richard, and Kevin Scott. Grandchildren Tracy Lee Holley (Theresa), Kendra Lee Moller, Cheyenne Navarro (Moises, Jared J Moller, and Great Grandchildren Joshua and Jessica Holley. Services will be held Monday, October 3rd, at Haven of Rest in Gig Harbor, with viewing at 10:30, followed by a graveside service at Noon. There will be a reception at St. Nicholas Church in Gig Harbor immediately following. The Family wants to thank Moms special friends Cheryl Moss, Rhonda Wilcox, and John Winden for their love and support during Moms final years. We also wish to express our thanks to Franciscan Hospice for the excellent care they provided. In lieu of flowers, remembrances can be made in Donna's name to Franciscan Hospice.

The Life Story of Donna Boll Moller

Jan 2nd 1919 ~ September 15th 2016

Donna was petite and soft spoken, with a ready laugh.  These characteristics belie the fact she had a strength of character which enabled her to take a stand on her deeply held convictions, to make difficult decisions and not waver, and survive personal life experiences that were both very hard and heartbreaking.  Yet, she did it without complaint.   I can hear her say, "Why complain?  It doesn't change anything."  And, I heard her say many times over the years, "I'm just a cockeyed optimist!"  Yes, indeed; Donna summed up her personal philosophy succinctly and correctly.

Donna Marie Boll was born on January 2, 1919, to Emma and Richard Boll, in Antigo, Wisconsin.  Antigo was a small city with a population under 10,000 and an economy based on agriculture and industry.  Her father was a repairman working in the shops of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad and her mother was a housewife.  Her parents always lived in town, but moved to several different locations and never owned a home or a car.  Her father was "gassed" during World War I, permanently damaging his lungs to the point that he was often in the Veterans' Hospital and unable to work.  In addition to her father's ill health restricting his ability to work, the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad experienced periods of labor strife and strikes.  These combined circumstances probably made it financially impossible for her parents to own their own home.   The rest of her immediate family comprised a younger sister, Marion, and a younger brother, Ray.  Her sister, Marion, worked briefly after high school and then married and moved out of town for her husband's job.  After completing high school, Ray enlisted in the Air Force and served as a B-24 bomber pilot during World War II.  Most of Donna's aunts and uncles and their respective spouses lived in Antigo, also. 

Childhood memories included earning spending money picking bugs off potato plants.  Donna’s grandfather lived nearby and had a large garden for potatoes, which were often infested with potato bugs.  To help Donna and her siblings earn spending money, he paid them to pick the potato bugs off the leaves, earning 10 cents for each can of bugs gathered.   Donna also recalled that her father was not strict and could be playful.   She fondly reminisced about the time she said something during the family dinner and, in mock anger, her father got up from his chair and headed towards Donna.  She scooted back her chair, not sure if he was going to grab her and spank her; they ended up running around the dining room table, her father chasing Donna, until they were laughing so hard they couldn't run anymore.  Her mother shouldered much of the responsibility for raising Donna and her siblings because of her father's absences when he was in the Veterans' Hospital.

Donna graduated high school in 1937.  In Antigo High School, she took courses in typing and shorthand in preparation for a career as a secretary.  After graduation, she became a working woman, moving through several different jobs in Antigo.  From October 1939 to October 1940, she worked as a secretary for Frank R. Manthey, a linoleum floor installer.  In December 1940, she went to work as a secretary for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), working for them until June 1942. 

In June 1942, she went to work as a secretary in the Pension Department at Langlade County Courthouse in Antigo, where she worked until January 1944.  While working in the Pension Department, Donna hoped for a transfer to a job she was trained to perform.  Instead, the job was given to someone else who lacked the proper training.  Unhappy with this turn of events, Donna quit her job.  Aunt Harriet, her mother's sister, was working for Boeing in Seattle at that time and encouraged Donna to come to Seattle and work for Boeing.  According to Donna, deciding to move from Antigo to Seattle was the most difficult decision of her life.  And, yet, this decision, once made, was acted on quickly.  She did not waver once she made her decision to move.  She left behind her family and friends, who had filled her life when she wasn't at work and moved across country looking for a new job and a new life. Joining her aunt in Seattle, Donna accepted a job in January 1944 in the Shop Superintendent's office of Pan American Airlines.  Part of her job duties included the delivery of mail to several of Pan American’s shops. 

She lived with her Aunt Harriet in an apartment on Boren Street on Seattle’s Capitol Hill.  She enjoyed living with her aunt, and they spent weekends together, sometimes going to movies.  She worked for Pan American Airlines until August 1944.  It was while working for Pan American Airlines that Donna met Carl Moller.  As she told her niece Pat, "That's the beginning of this part of my life." 

Carl was working for Pan American Airlines as an instrument technician.  He noticed Donna delivering the mail and was interested in her.  However, he was so shy he needed some encouragement from his good friend and coworker, Wright Hawkes, to ask Donna out on a date.   Wright and his wife, Marg, were going out for the evening and suggested that Carl and Donna join them.  This broke the ice, and Carl and Donna began dating, although Donna said that Carl was still shy for quite awhile.  Donna was patient and just let things take their course in the blossoming relationship.  When asked why Donna fell in love with Carl, she laughed and said, "He seemed like the kind that needed a lot of care, a lot of attention.  And he was very shy."  Donna obviously wanted to be the woman who could provide him the loving care and attention she thought he needed.  They shared the same Catholic faith and desire to be close to family.  Weekends together were sometimes spent at Sunrise Beach, where Donna would stay with Carl's parents, Anna and Henry.  Carl was operating the "Maryland" passenger boat for his brother, Heinie, on summer weekends.  Donna would occasionally join him while he was taking tourists out on the "Maryland" for sightseeing trips on Puget Sound.  Carl never formally proposed, but their courtship just lead naturally to their marriage on February 12, 1945, within a year of Donna’s arrival in Seattle.

The February 12th wedding date was carefully selected so Donna would not be older than Carl when they were married.  Although this seems old fashioned now, back then it was considered an important point.  Since Donna's birthday was January 2 and Carl's was February 3, they set their wedding date to occur as soon after Carl's birthday as possible.  They were then the same age.

In September 1944, Donna changed jobs and went to work for Boeing and worked until September 1945.  She was pregnant with Betty during her last few months at Boeing. 

Carl was convinced by his friend Wright Hawkes to quit his job as an instrument technician for Pan American Airlines (Pan Am) and go to work for Wright's father, who owned the Hawkes & Sons Jewelers store in Yakima.  Carl and Donna moved to Yakima in 1945, and the elderly watchmaker working at Hawkes & Sons Jewelers trained Carl to make and repair watches.  This training, in conjunction with Carl's skills learned while working for Pan Am, enabled him to have a career as a watch and clockmaker and repair man at Hawkes & Sons Jewelers.  Carl worked for Hawkes & Sons Jewelers for many years.

They had five children:  Elizabeth Ann (Betty), born January 15, 1946; Carl Maryon Junior (Corky), born March 16, 1949; Kenneth James (Ken), born April 21, 1953; Michael Richard (Mike), born August 14, 1954; and Kevin Scott (Scott), born November 19, 1959. 

While living in Yakima, both Carl and Donna worked hard providing for their growing family.  Carl had a shop in the basement of their home where he often spent evenings repairing watches for friends and family as a way to make extra money.  Donna's full-time job was being a mother and homemaker, although she did supplement their income working at Hawkes & Sons Jewelers during the Christmas season and on holidays wrapping packages.  She enjoyed creating attractive packages using fancy papers and ribbons, since she knew these were gifts to be enjoyed by the people receiving them. 

They bought a large lot which included a small orchard of pear trees.  Part of the sale agreement included maintaining the orchard and harvesting the fruit for the previous owner.  A carpenter was hired to do the framing of the house, and Carl did all the finishing work on the house in the evenings and on weekends.   Since they lived two blocks from their future home, after dinner Carl would walk down to work on the house.  Donna would join Carl, bringing Betty, Corky, and Ken with her.  It took months of part-time construction to complete their new home so they could move in.

With a household of seven, money was tight; and their dining out experiences were limited to drive-in restaurants that served hamburgers, back when hamburgers cost about 10 cents.  Donna said that their 10 cent hamburgers tasted just as good as more expensive food would have - they enjoyed the opportunity to dine out.  When Carl's sister, Madeline, her husband, Bob, and his mother, Anna, would come to visit, they always went to a favorite Mexican restaurant in Union Gap, which was a special treat.

With a family of five kids, there was never a shortage of things to do.  Donna remembered a conversation she had with a woman who came into their Proctor District jewelry store one day.  The woman was talking about her family, and she asked Donna how many children she had.  Donna told her she had five children.  The woman, in a horrified voice, said, "Oh, my dear, I feel so sorry for you!"  Donna laughed at this because she didn't share this woman's opinion that five kids were too much to handle.

Their son Corky was born with a developmental disability, which required additional efforts on the part of both Donna and Carl.  Donna and other women in Yakima who had special-needs children formed a group and ran a private school to help educate their children.  The school employed a couple of teachers.  Donna was very close to this group of women, who shared experiences with their special-needs children and worked together to improve their children's lives.  This group worked hard to get legislation passed through the State Legislature, which would allow all special-needs children to attend regular public schools.  They had a letter writing campaign, sending letters to State Legislators stating that these children also had a right to a public education.  They were able to get legislation passed which required these children be incorporated into the public school system where they would have more educational opportunities.

In addition to a busy schedule of work and maintaining the home, Carl and Donna did find time to take their children on various outings. They went camping a few times, and it must have taken some effort to keep tabs on five children and keep them out of trouble.  Carl would take the boys into the mountains in the winter to go sledding, and there were occasional trips to Mt. Rainier to harvest Huckleberries on the slopes of the mountain.  When they could, they would make the trip to Sunrise Beach to visit Carl's mother and father, Anna and Henry, and Carl's siblings and their families.

After a number of years, Donna and Carl made the difficult decision to place Corky at the Rainier School in the Town of Buckley.  Because Buckley was located on the west side of the mountains, they were not able to visit Corky very often and whenever they talked to him, Corky wanted to know when they were coming to see him.

In 1972, Carl quit working at Hawkes and they made the decision to move to Sunrise Beach.  While there were probably a number of factors leading up to this decision, the fact that it would make it much easier to see Corky more often was certainly an important reason. 

They bought a little jewelry store in the Proctor District in Tacoma.  While the main business was repairing watches, Carl also soldered glasses frames for people, which was apparently a frequent request by customers.  Their philosophy was to keep the cost to their customers low, and they treated their customers fairly, the way they would like to be treated.  They worked for five years in their store, taking sack lunches to work and occasionally buying baked goods from the bakery around the corner.

In the early 1980s, Corky ran away from the group home where he was temporarily staying in the Town of Roy.  The Rainier School in Buckley had been downsized and most of the residents relocated to small group homes.  Corky, who had been content at Rainier, was moved from one home to another, becoming increasingly unhappy.  He was temporarily placed in the group home in Roy while his permanent group home in Tacoma was being repaired from a fire.  He was happy in the group home at Roy and didn't want to return to the Tacoma group home.  When the person came to Roy to take Corky back to the Tacoma group home, Corky ran out the back door.  He ran into a tree farm and became lost in the densely wooded area.  For days, family members and the police using search dogs scoured the surrounding woods but, tragically, they found no trace of Corky.  This was emotionally devastating to Donna, Carl, Corky's siblings, as well as to the entire family.  The unanswered question about Corky was like a wound that never completely healed.   Finally, 11 years later, Corky was found by a hunter.  He was brought home to the family and buried next his grandparents. 

Eventually, Carl and Donna sold the store and retired.  The pace of life slowed and revolved around Sunrise Beach.  There was always something to do:  repairs to be made, construction projects, growing and harvesting vegetables and maintaining flower gardens, gathering logs from the beach and sawing and chopping them into firewood.  Since they lived next door to Madeline and Bob, the lawn turned into a dirt path between the two homes with the daily visits back and forth.  Eventually, they just put in a paved sidewalk linking the two houses.  Carl and Donna went to church with Madeline weekly, eventually shifting to the Saturday night Mass.  After Mass, they would go to a fast food restaurant and have hamburgers.  It became a tradition.  Donna and Madeline often went to Gig Harbor together to grocery shop.  They were still on the homestead site that Carl's father and mother had homesteaded 100 years before, and although life had become mechanized and modernized, there was still an essence of the old homestead that ran through their hearts and minds.

Donna and Carl were both animal lovers, often adopting stray cats and dogs or pets no longer wanted by their previous owners.  Their last dog, a large black Lab- and Doberman-mix, was a stray dog that followed their niece Pat home while she was out running in Seattle.  When the dog was still on their doorstep the next morning, Pat's husband Brent called Carl and Donna and asked if they wanted this dog.  Donna said yes, and Brent took time off work to drive the dog down to her new home. Apparently, Carl was not keen on adopting the stray dog so, initially, Carl referred to her as "Donna's Dog," or  Dee Dee for short.  Of course, Carl fell in love with the dog too, but it was Donna who could not say no to this new member of their family.

Married for 62 years, Donna and Carl had a loving marriage and partnership.  According to Donna, Carl was in "low gear."  He wasn't the kind of person who was excitable.  When I asked her how they approached decision making in family matters, Donna stated, "I left them more to him because it seemed like the right kind of way."  Donna doesn't remember them ever arguing.

After Carl died in 2007, Donna continued living in their home.  Betty, Ken, Scott, and Mike helped with the chores around the place, the gardening, the shopping, and the bookkeeping.  Donna and her family decided to continue fixing up the beach cabin that Carl started to repair before he passed. This cabin, which had been operated as a summer rental by his parents, was restored to the point that it could be used by visiting family and friends.  Donna welcomed people to use this cabin to enjoy Sunrise Beach. 

Even with her macular degeneration and her other health issues, Donna continued to remain involved in living a contented life.  She always remained a "cockeyed optimist," no matter what happened.  She still enjoyed cooking and baking, did her own laundry and hung it up on the line, took care of her flower gardens as much a she could, and enjoyed having company.  She was known for her delicious coffee cakes which included her mother-in-law Anna's recipe for the topping.  She and her children renovated the interior of her house, replacing the carpets and having the walls painted and crown molding added in the living room.  When the Seahawks were in the playoffs, her niece Pat tried to schedule visits a couple of times on the days when the Seahawks were playing.  Donna, always interested in football, said those weren't good days because she wanted to watch the Seahawks game – she was having a football party with Betty and Ken and other football enthusiasts coming over to watch the game with her.

Donna told her niece Pat, "It wasn't an easy life, but it was a good life. I had a good husband, and he was good to me." And, although one could say that Carl and Donna were married 62 years, the marriage really never ended.  Donna sensed Carl's presence after he was gone and said she could feel him touching her sometimes.  Their loving partnership continued.  And she knew Carl was waiting for her.  As Donna sensed her time with us was short, she said she was ready to be with Carl and Corky.  She knew what she wanted, made her decision, and didn't waver.  To the very end, Donna remained an optimist.  She was not afraid of taking her last big step to join Carl and Corky; she anticipated and embraced it. 

Donna has lived a life of quiet optimism, faith in herself and others, dedication to her family and friends, and religious faith through both good times and difficult times.  She has been a role model for all of us, and sharing her life's philosophy with us has been a gift.  While it is hard for her family and friends to say goodbye, I believe Donna will still be with us in our hearts and minds.  When we are tempted to think of our glass as half-empty, let's remember Donna's "cockeyed optimist" approach and say, "My glass is half-full" or, even better, say, "My glass is full."  Thank you, Donna.   

Donna was blessed in her final years to have had three special friends who helped care for her, Cheryl Moss, Rhonda Wilcox, and John Winden. The Family wishes to express their gratitude for their support.

Written by Patricia Moller Lambert, Donna’s Niece

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