Donna Morton Lewis, 68, passed away on Saturday, October 25″ at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital with her family by her side. Donna was born on May 4″, 1957, in Jacksonville, N.C. Donna was passionate about her family, her faith and her teaching career. Donna was predeceased by her grandparents and her nephew, Bradford Neveu. Donna is survived by her husband of 47 years, Doug Lewis, her parents, Jim and Shirley Morton, her children, Jim and Leslie Lewis, Sarah and Ryan Keller and her grandchildren Lainey Lewis, Jayson Lewis, Brayden Lewis, Clayton Pope, Bennett Pope and Ana Keller. She loved being Mimmie to the older kids and YaYa to Bennett. Her grandchildren adored her. Donna was also blessed to be survived by her three brothers, their spouses and their children/grandchildren. Donna made it her mission to be that “”great Aunt” who would attend and be part of all the key events in the lives of her extended family including birthdays, showers, graduations, weddings and sporting events. Donna always said that Debbie Smith and her brother’s spouses made up the best set of sisters that any girl could have.
At Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Donna was involved on many levels. She chaired the Day School Commission, served on the Vestry multiple times, was Senior Warden during the challenging time of Covid, taught Sunday School and was a regular on the Flower Guild. One of her fondest memories was the mission trip to Arkansas with a group of Emmanuel’s Teenagers.
Donna taught for 20 years in the Virginia Beach School system. Her 5″ and 3′ graders were a joy in her life. She spent the time and resources to make her classroom memorable. She was one of those teachers that made learning fun. She inspired her students and many of her teaching colleagues to set high goals and work hard to achieve them. She reveled in the success of her students, the last of whom recently finished college.
A memorial service will be held at Emmanuel on Saturday, November 1″ at 1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, Donna requests you consider donating to the CHKD Children’s Hospital via CHKD.org/giving or to Emmanuel Episcopal Church at 5181 Singleton Way, Virginia Beach, VA 23462.