Donna Rose Henson

Donna Rose Henson, age 85, of Cloverdale, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2021 with family at her side.

She leaves behind her beloved husband William “Bill” Henson, as well as their five children, Bill (Tonette) Henson, Dave (Carol) Henson, Jill Henson Stanley, Dan (Rosemary) Henson and Patrick (Kristin) Henson.

Born in Princeton, Ind., on Oct. 23, 1935 to the late Glenn Dossett and Francis Dossett Smith, Donna attended Cloverdale schools for many years, until her family moved to Eminence in her last years of high school.

She graduated from Eminence High School in 1954, then moved to Indianapolis to work for Indiana Bell Telephone for the next several years.

Donna married her high school sweetheart Bill in 1955. They returned to Putnam County in 1959 and eventually settled into the house in Cloverdale that would be her home for the next 60 years.

While her children grew up, Donna was a den mother and a little league mom. In the late 1970s, she became a “lunch lady” at Cloverdale High School, where she retired after 22 years.

She enjoyed attending basketball and volleyball games with her husband for many years, loved gardening, reading, crossword puzzles, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy and spending time with her children and grandchildren.

In addition to her husband and children, Donna is survived by nine grandchildren, Christopher, Bryan (Shanna), Kevin (Mindy), Scott (Alyssa) and Daniel (Stephanie) Henson; Amber (Todd) Harpold; Joe (Laura) Stanley; Sarah Thompson and Jennifer (Daniel) Rivera, and 14 great-grandchildren (Zach, Jacob, Reid, Casen, Emma and Quinn Henson; Shannon, Patrick and Colleen Halloran; Rowan and Ellie Stanley; Benjamin Thompson and Anna and Maria Rivera). Also surviving are her brother, Niles (Linda) Smith, her sister, Pricilla (Larry) Limbach, and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her sisters Nina McReynolds, Wilma Rees and Janice Willis.

Visitation will be held Monday, Aug. 30 from 4-7 p.m. at Whitaker Funeral Home in Cloverdale followed by services at 7 p.m. A private burial will occur at a later date.

Condolences may be made at www.whitakerfuneralhome.net.