Apr. 10, 1930 - Dec. 18, 2016
Date of Service: Dec. 29, 2016
BURLEY – Dona Rose Manning Fenton, age 86, of Springdale, passed away peacefully in her home Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016, surrounded by her adoring family.
She was born April 10, 1930, in the home that her father built. She was ninth child of 10. She graduated from Burley High School and then attended BYU for a semester before being proposed to by James Fenton, the love of her life. They married in that same home on Nov. 18, 1949, honeymooning in San Francisco and making their home in Burley where she worked at JC Penney’s.
In 1955 they moved to Venice, California. Dona and Jim were sealed in the Los Angeles California LDS Temple in 1959 for time and all eternity. She was a lifelong active and worthy member of the LDS Church. She always had a calling and was endlessly giving her time.
Dona worked at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium for several years where they hosted the Academy Awards. They had four beautiful children, Bobbie, Wayne, Scott, and Kris, before moving back to Burley in 1969 to buy the family farm.
They moved to Minneapolis for a time to help with the construction of one of their children’s homes and stayed for a few years before returning to Burley in 1991.
Dona Rose could always find out how people were related to her or how she knew one of their relatives. Once that connection was made, you were now family. She was famous for cooking breakfast and she made the world’s best pancakes. No one ever left her home hungry. Holidays were legendary for her hand dipped chocolates. If you were ever the recipient of a gift of food from Dona Rose, you could taste the love she put into everything she made.
Dona Rose, Mom, Grandma, Dear, Sweetie, burner of turkeys [that one time], touched so many lives, we miss you. This cold December got a little more bleak because you aren’t here with us to warm our hearts. But as Cousin Doug reminded us, Heaven just got a lot more fun now that Dona Rose is there.
She is survived by her sister, Virginia Bell; her sister-in-law, Loanda Manning; her children, Bobbie Ann Nix, Wayne James (Margie) Fenton, Scott Manning (Debra) Fenton, and Kris Tina (Michael II) McDaniel; her grandchildren, Pepper, Roderick, Justin, Bret, Brandon, Jaret, Jordan, Breann, Lance, Talia, Chalyce, Kory, Kelsie, Michael and Ryan; and 29 great-grandchildren.
Family and friends are invited to the viewing from 6 until 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., Burley
The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 29, at the Springdale LDS Church, 519 E. 200 S., of Burley, with Bishop Brian Wilde officiating. Viewing will be from 10 until 10:45 a.m. Thursday, prior to the service at the church. Burial will be in the Pleasant View Cemetery.
