Stories


Nancy Evans Donna was a special friend from the time our children were infants! She called here in the last few months and Nancy had so much fun talking about the old days, and bringing us up to date about her family and ours. We will miss her dearly. 0 people prayed for this request! I Prayed For This
Bonnie Cockriel Donna will be missed..She was a very special Lady. We had a wonderful few years of working together, very happy for the memories. 0 people prayed for this request! I Prayed For This
Anna Buchner Donna was my hero. We worked together 20 and looking back those were the good times. We were the A Team. Her kindness impressed me most. I was once asked who I admired most and it was Donna. Rest in peace Donna Manzana ? ? 0 people prayed for this request! I Prayed For This
Luis Garcia Donna was my mother-in-law but she was more than that to me. She was like having a second mother. Donna always treated me like one of her own kids. I was blessed to have Donna in my life for the past 25 years. She was the most loving, hard working, generous, and selfless person I have ever known. She was so helpful and put everyone’s needs ahead of hers. Donna was the rock in this family and a true angel with a heart of gold. My family and I will miss her dearly. We will miss her smile and her words of wisdom. We will also miss her cooking and baking, especially the egg casserole she used to make me on Saturday mornings. We have a lot of beautiful memories of Donna that we will always treasure in our hearts. We will always be grateful for the things she did for our family. I know Donna is in heaven but I wish God would have given her more time here on earth because our lives will never be the same without her. Donna loved spending time with Alex on Saturdays. They did arts and crafts, played card games, worked on homework, and even shot basketball hoops. Alex asks about Grandma Donna often, however, he doesn’t understand her passing due to his autism. Alex misses his Grandma and we’ve struggled with the best way to explain that she’s passed, but we know she’s an angel in heaven watching over him. 0 people prayed for this request! I Prayed For This
Joy Venne To our dear Lee family, I want to express my sincere and deepest sympathy on the loss of your Mom and Grandma. Both titles she loved. She was so much more than she thought of herself. For me, she was my cousin. How lucky I was to have a cousin so close in age. We share one week that we were the same age until my Birthday came. We called it Twin Week. With our young and limited wardrobe, we planned out 7 days of dressing the same. We referred to Twin Week all our years. Donna was like another sister. The miles never mattered. We could share anything and never hold back. She was a safe place. A kind heart. A gentle soul. A loving, humble, selfless being. Donna was generous in her love and commitment to family and friends. I always marveled at how strong she was. She seemed to take days as they came and tried to logically deal with them. She had a strong, personal faith. I find comfort knowing she was welcomed into heaven. The angels came and gently took her into their fold. Imagine the joy. While we grieve her loss, we rejoice that she has obtained the goal we all strive for our end. I know all her living days, she had your love. You were a loving family. She was so proud of you all. Each one. You made her life complete. Remember her. Remember the love she gave. Remember those special times and what made her laugh. Remember all she did and gave. Most importantly, remember her selfless love. Go forward now in that love. She will be with you in your hearts, as she is in mine. Love to you all, our dear California family. Joy 0 people prayed for this request! I Prayed For This
Beth Clark Aunt Donna was more than just my Aunt. She was my God Mother. She always showered me with love and affection. I have countless birthday cards and special gifts like the sugar corsage she gave me on my sweet sixteen. I feel so blessed to have had her in my life. Just a few weeks before she died she had me over to her place for a nice brunch. She always went all out for entertaining with a meal. Each detail made it so very special. But I cherish the conversation and the hug. Out of all the stories I could recall, the one that meant the most to me was her gift for me when I graduated from high school. I was used to the checks for $50, but when I received her card and opened it up to find a check made out for $1200... I just about passed out. I called to thank her and ask if she accidentally added an extra zero. To which she replied, “No, since you are my God Daughter, I have put away $100 each year you were in school. Just in case... And now you can have it.” This amazing gift made such a lasting impact and I plan to pay it forward with my God daughter and niece. As well as for my other niece. Aunt Donna will be missed. I will hold her and all my memories in my heart. And I look forward to heaven and being reunited with her and all our loved ones. I can just see her smiling and welcoming all into her house with our friends and family that have gone on before. Heaven to me is our family get togethers where so much love and joy is felt. 0 people prayed for this request! I Prayed For This
Alex Garcia My Grandma was the best. She had so much patience for me. I love Grandma's food. Saturdays were my favorite because I got to spend time with Grandma. She would feed me my favorite food and color with me. She would take me to my favorite store the Hallmark store to look at the Mickey figurines. We would love to watch T.V. together. Grandma always recorded my favorite T.V. shows for me. We made cards together and bake cookies together. We colored and made puzzles. We did our workout routines together. Grandma created a home made basketball court for me and counted while I made 100 baskets. I love my Grandma. Love, Alex 0 people prayed for this request! I Prayed For This
Araceli Garcia My grandmother was the most selfless, caring, loving, beautiful, and hardworking woman. She was such an inspiration to me at a young age. She would drive me to my elementary school each morning and we would belt out to tunes like "Forever in Blue Jeans", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", and "Kokomo". Singing with Grandma was the highlight of my day. I remember being so proud to tell other students in my class that Mrs. Lee was my Grandma. Everyone loved her including the students, teachers, and all Sunnyside staff. I will never forget the amount of hard work she put into her lessons and getting her class ready for her students each morning at 6:30 am. She was the most hardworking person I have ever met. At an early age, I knew I wanted to be a teacher just like my Grandma. As I grew older and began to teach myself, I would always try to put in the same amount of effort into my class as she always did. Even after Grandma retired from 45 plus years of teaching, she would still substitute almost every day. I remember her subbing for my Special Education class a few times. Even though Special Ed (especially Special Ed Kindergarten) was not her favorite, she would put in so much effort to get the students to learn. I remember the countless Summer School sessions that Grandma would help me with. Even when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and we moved on to Virtual Learning, Grandma was wiling to help me. She even let me teach her how to ZOOM. One day I told her that I was working with the students on a "Bug" Unit and the next day Grandma had so many "Bug" books and coloring pages ready for me. She was the best! I will always treasure the lunches/dinners she would invite me to at her house. I would get so excited to see her because it was our special bonding time. We would laugh together as we shared stories. I loved listening to Grandma's childhood stories. One of my favorite stories from her was when she was two years old and Grandpa John gave her a hammer, nails, and a box of wood. At two years old she would try her best to hammer nails into wood while repeatedly exclaiming "Darn Old Me". Each Holiday Grandma would send each of her grandchildren a card and a treat. This meant the world to me because it showed how much she cared and thought of us. Her children and grandchildren were the most important thing to her. Before her passing, she would talk with me about her plan to have Thanksgiving with each of her four children and their families. She always put in so much effort to make our family gatherings special. My grandmother was truly the best grandmother I could have ever asked for and she will be forever missed and treasured. Heaven really gained an angel. 0 people prayed for this request! I Prayed For This

Nancy Evans

Donna was a special friend from the time our children were infants! She called here in the last few months and Nancy had so much fun talking about the old days, and bringing us up to date about her family and ours. We will miss her dearly.

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Bonnie Cockriel

Donna will be missed..She was a very special Lady. We had a wonderful few years of working together, very happy for the memories.

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Anna Buchner

Donna was my hero. We worked together 20 and looking back those were the good times. We were the A Team. Her kindness impressed me most. I was once asked who I admired most and it was Donna. Rest in peace Donna Manzana ? ?

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Luis Garcia

Donna was my mother-in-law but she was more than that to me. She was like having a second mother. Donna always treated me like one of her own kids. I was blessed to have Donna in my life for the past 25 years. She was the most loving, hard working, generous, and selfless person I have ever known. She was so helpful and put everyone’s needs ahead of hers. Donna was the rock in this family and a true angel with a heart of gold. My family and I will miss her dearly. We will miss her smile and her words of wisdom. We will also miss her cooking and baking, especially the egg casserole she used to make me on Saturday mornings. We have a lot of beautiful memories of Donna that we will always treasure in our hearts. We will always be grateful for the things she did for our family. I know Donna is in heaven but I wish God would have given her more time here on earth because our lives will never be the same without her. Donna loved spending time with Alex on Saturdays. They did arts and crafts, played card games, worked on homework, and even shot basketball hoops. Alex asks about Grandma Donna often, however, he doesn’t understand her passing due to his autism. Alex misses his Grandma and we’ve struggled with the best way to explain that she’s passed, but we know she’s an angel in heaven watching over him.

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Joy Venne

To our dear Lee family, I want to express my sincere and deepest sympathy on the loss of your Mom and Grandma. Both titles she loved. She was so much more than she thought of herself. For me, she was my cousin. How lucky I was to have a cousin so close in age. We share one week that we were the same age until my Birthday came. We called it Twin Week. With our young and limited wardrobe, we planned out 7 days of dressing the same. We referred to Twin Week all our years. Donna was like another sister. The miles never mattered. We could share anything and never hold back. She was a safe place. A kind heart. A gentle soul. A loving, humble, selfless being. Donna was generous in her love and commitment to family and friends. I always marveled at how strong she was. She seemed to take days as they came and tried to logically deal with them. She had a strong, personal faith. I find comfort knowing she was welcomed into heaven. The angels came and gently took her into their fold. Imagine the joy. While we grieve her loss, we rejoice that she has obtained the goal we all strive for our end. I know all her living days, she had your love. You were a loving family. She was so proud of you all. Each one. You made her life complete. Remember her. Remember the love she gave. Remember those special times and what made her laugh. Remember all she did and gave. Most importantly, remember her selfless love. Go forward now in that love. She will be with you in your hearts, as she is in mine. Love to you all, our dear California family. Joy

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Beth Clark

Aunt Donna was more than just my Aunt. She was my God Mother. She always showered me with love and affection. I have countless birthday cards and special gifts like the sugar corsage she gave me on my sweet sixteen. I feel so blessed to have had her in my life. Just a few weeks before she died she had me over to her place for a nice brunch. She always went all out for entertaining with a meal. Each detail made it so very special. But I cherish the conversation and the hug. Out of all the stories I could recall, the one that meant the most to me was her gift for me when I graduated from high school. I was used to the checks for $50, but when I received her card and opened it up to find a check made out for $1200... I just about passed out. I called to thank her and ask if she accidentally added an extra zero. To which she replied, “No, since you are my God Daughter, I have put away $100 each year you were in school. Just in case... And now you can have it.” This amazing gift made such a lasting impact and I plan to pay it forward with my God daughter and niece. As well as for my other niece. Aunt Donna will be missed. I will hold her and all my memories in my heart. And I look forward to heaven and being reunited with her and all our loved ones. I can just see her smiling and welcoming all into her house with our friends and family that have gone on before. Heaven to me is our family get togethers where so much love and joy is felt.

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Alex Garcia

My Grandma was the best. She had so much patience for me. I love Grandma's food. Saturdays were my favorite because I got to spend time with Grandma. She would feed me my favorite food and color with me. She would take me to my favorite store the Hallmark store to look at the Mickey figurines. We would love to watch T.V. together. Grandma always recorded my favorite T.V. shows for me. We made cards together and bake cookies together. We colored and made puzzles. We did our workout routines together. Grandma created a home made basketball court for me and counted while I made 100 baskets. I love my Grandma. Love, Alex

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Araceli Garcia

My grandmother was the most selfless, caring, loving, beautiful, and hardworking woman. She was such an inspiration to me at a young age. She would drive me to my elementary school each morning and we would belt out to tunes like "Forever in Blue Jeans", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", and "Kokomo". Singing with Grandma was the highlight of my day. I remember being so proud to tell other students in my class that Mrs. Lee was my Grandma. Everyone loved her including the students, teachers, and all Sunnyside staff. I will never forget the amount of hard work she put into her lessons and getting her class ready for her students each morning at 6:30 am. She was the most hardworking person I have ever met. At an early age, I knew I wanted to be a teacher just like my Grandma. As I grew older and began to teach myself, I would always try to put in the same amount of effort into my class as she always did. Even after Grandma retired from 45 plus years of teaching, she would still substitute almost every day. I remember her subbing for my Special Education class a few times. Even though Special Ed (especially Special Ed Kindergarten) was not her favorite, she would put in so much effort to get the students to learn. I remember the countless Summer School sessions that Grandma would help me with. Even when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and we moved on to Virtual Learning, Grandma was wiling to help me. She even let me teach her how to ZOOM. One day I told her that I was working with the students on a "Bug" Unit and the next day Grandma had so many "Bug" books and coloring pages ready for me. She was the best! I will always treasure the lunches/dinners she would invite me to at her house. I would get so excited to see her because it was our special bonding time. We would laugh together as we shared stories. I loved listening to Grandma's childhood stories. One of my favorite stories from her was when she was two years old and Grandpa John gave her a hammer, nails, and a box of wood. At two years old she would try her best to hammer nails into wood while repeatedly exclaiming "Darn Old Me". Each Holiday Grandma would send each of her grandchildren a card and a treat. This meant the world to me because it showed how much she cared and thought of us. Her children and grandchildren were the most important thing to her. Before her passing, she would talk with me about her plan to have Thanksgiving with each of her four children and their families. She always put in so much effort to make our family gatherings special. My grandmother was truly the best grandmother I could have ever asked for and she will be forever missed and treasured. Heaven really gained an angel.

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