Donna Ann Peery, 92, of Payson, passed away on March 31, 2024. She was born on September 18, 1931, in Payson, Utah, to Lloyd Henry and Eleen McClellan. She grew up with four sisters:  Gayle, Helen, Kay, and Linda.  They were close from the beginning and continued to be lifelong friends.

Hers was a family with a simple, but happy home life. They did not have a lot of worldly goods but were happy just the same.  One unforgettable Christmas she and her sisters were gifted a bike to share, this was very exciting, because the family didn’t have an automobile for most of her childhood.  She attended Payson schools, graduating from Payson High School where she was a social butterfly. She could always be found at a football game, dance, or having fun with her great group of friends.

After graduation she lived in Salt Lake and was a nanny. She later worked at the telephone office and at Payson Hospital as a telephone operator. She also worked as a waitress, at Roe’s Bakery, and finally at Wilson School as a secretary and aide. She was kind and loved the interaction with the kids.

She met Richard Lynn Peery at a school dance. They dated for a while, then were married at Fort Ord, California, later being sealed in the Provo Temple. Dick spent the first two and a half years of their marriage overseas fighting in the Korean War. When Dick came home from the war, they rented a home in Payson and a few years later bought a home where they raised their family. They are the parents of six children:  Bruce (Karen), Kris (Lynn Gourley), Karen, Kelly (Lee Clark), Kay (Lance Bateman), Kim (Roger Braithwaite). Donna loved being a mom and homemaker. She was a great cook.

Donna served faithfully in her church callings. She had a testimony of the gospel and loved her Savior. In her own small way, she has touched the lives of countless people.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Dick, sons-in-law Lance and Lynn, and sisters Gayle and Helen, as well as an infant daughter, Karen. She has 25 grandchildren, 43 great grandchildren, and eight great-great grandchildren.

A funeral service will be held Friday, April 5, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 274 South Main Street, Payson, Utah. Visitations will be held at the church on Thursday, April 4, 2024, from 6:00–8:00 p.m. and on Friday, April 5, 2024, from 9:45–10:45 a.m. Interment will be in Payson City Cemetery, 400 North 800 East, Payson, Utah.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to the LDS Humanitarian Fund .

The funeral service will be streamed live. Please return to Donna's memorial page shortly before 11:00 a.m. on Friday, April 5, 2024, and click on the link below.

Donna Ann Peery Funeral Service