Donna Juruth England Lee, 84, of Sparta, passed away March 19, 2023, at Life Care Center of Sparta.
Donna was born June 9, 1938, in Sparta, to Joe England and Lelloine Bumbalough England.
She was a teacher in the White County and the Van Buren County schools for 23 years. During her career, she was principal of Mountain View Elementary, in Spencer.
Donna was skilled in writing poetry. She was awarded the Silver Poet Award for many of her poems and was bestowed the highest award from the World of Poetry (The Golden Poet Award) for a poem she wrote about her dad called “The Deer Hunter.”
She was a member of First Christian Church of Sparta and attended The Journey Church, in Lebanon. Donna participated in many organizations, including Civil Air Patrol, Delta Kappa Gamma, Master Singer at Tennessee Tech University, Tennessee Outdoors Woman, and the Retired Teachers Association of Sparta.
She spent countless hours at Sparta-White County Senior Center exercising, hanging out with friends, and playing cards. One of her favorite things to do was dance. DONNA LOVED TO DANCE! She competed in the Senior Olympics and won over 100 medals, competing in swimming and skeet shooting.
Donna wanted to go to into space. She applied to go into space when President Ronald Regan revealed there would be a teacher chosen.
Above all, she loved her family the most.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, John Thomas “Johnny” Lee II; son, John Thomas “John Tom” Lee III; grandson, William Kyle Maasen; and in-laws, Jeanette England, Ronnie Hutson, Johnny Webb, and Josephine and John Overall.
She is lovingly survived by her two daughters, Lori Lee Maasen and husband Bill, Mary Lee Nash and husband Greg; special family friend/daughter, Carla Jones; grandchildren, Chassidy Golden and husband Brad, Trent Maasen and wife Amber Lee; step-grandchildren,
Virginia Nash, Graham Nash; great-grandchildren, Lexie Golden, Lenzie Golden, Wyatt Maasen, Kyler Maasen, Ridge Maasen; brothers and sisters, Joe Rodney England, Linda Hutson, Frankie Webb; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Della Carolyn Jernigan and husband Bill, Charlie Lee and wife Kaye; aunt, Jeanette Garner and husband Bill; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Funeral service will be 1 p.m., March 23, 2023, at Hunter Funeral Home, with burial in Highland Cemetery. The family will receive friends 4-7 p.m., March 22, at the funeral home. Erik Reed from The Journey Church, in Lebanon, will officiate.
Trent Maasen, Lee Maasen, Brandon Hillis, Ben Hillis, Brady Hillis, and Tyler Whorton will serve as pallbearers.
Honorary pallbearers will be Wyatt Maasen, Kyler Maasen and Rhoane Whorton.
Hunter Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
