Albany Mennonite Home resident Donna Wood, age 91, passed away peacefully on January 19, 2024. She was born on February 14, 1932, in Mill City, Oregon, the second of four children of Ray and Alma Plymale.
Donna graduated with honors from Lebanon High School where she was involved in variety of school activities including the marching band. She played more than five instruments for a significant part of her life and seemed to be able to pick up and play any instrument. She obtained her first bachelor’s degree from Northwest Christian College in Eugene in 1954. Later that same year she married Elijah Criswell “Joe” Vaughan. The couple had eight children between 1955 and 1963. Twin sons Berle Jay and Merle Ray died shortly after birth.
While living in Junction City, Oregon and raising her children, Donna obtained a second bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon. She worked as a substitute schoolteacher and eventually worked as the Director of Student Financial Aid at Northwest Christian College. After retiring, Donna and Joe served at a Christian missionary center in Mexico for several years.
Joe predeceased Donna in 1987. Her brothers John Plymale and Ben Plymale also predeceased her, as did her second son David Vaughan of Junction City, Oregon.
Donna became interested in genealogy and successfully traced her family history and ancestry back more than 500 years. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War (DUV). She actively served on national committees of the DUV and was its national president in 2004 where her son Dudley Vaughan and granddaughters Lilian and Amelia Vaughan attended and participated in the national convention. In 2014 Donna married Jay Wood. The couple lived in Fillmore, California until moving to the Mennonite Village. Jay predeceased Donna.
She is survived by her stepdaughter, Caren Baumgart of Klamath Falls, Oregon, and children Cris Vaughan of Grass Valley, California, Christine Bell of Dallas, Oregon, Daniel Vaughan of Corvallis, Oregon, Dudley Vaughan of Tampa, Florida and Carol Alford of Woodland, Washington and her sister Lydia Wilson of Albany, Oregon, as well as grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, May 4, 2024, at 1:00 pm at the Lakeside Center, Mennonite Village, 5353Columbus St SE, Albany, Oregon. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to Crabtree Christian Church, 37650 Crabtree Dr, Crabtree, OR 97335