Donna Brown Martin

Donna Brown Martin, a devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, teacher, and friend, passed away peacefully, leaving behind a legacy of love, kindness, and service. Donna was the third and youngest child born to Aileen Darley Brown and William Lowell Brown on May 19, 1938, in Boise, Idaho. 

Donna spent most of her growing up years on the family farm in West Stayton, Oregon. A graduate of Cascade High School, Donna was a talented baton twirler and a member of the Y-Lighters performance group while she pursued higher education at Brigham Young University, majoring in Composite Dance PE. While attending BYU Donna met and married Homer V. Martin Jr. (later divorced), and together they had three sons, who were her greatest joy. Their journey took them to various states, where Donna balanced family life with teaching, homemaking, and church service. In Baytown, Texas they owned multiple McDonalds franchises which kept them very busy. They took great pride in maintaining an excellent level of service for customers, and Donna became a McDonalds fan for life! They eventually moved to Ingram, Texas, where Donna dedicated 13 years to teaching in the Ingram Independent School District. Donna loved children and was passionate about teaching them. In 1995 Donna moved to Salt Lake City to live with her sister Lora Lee and family. She continued her love of teaching, working at Buttons and Bows preschool in Cottonwood Heights for over a decade.

Donna was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and served in numerous roles and as a temple worker. Her greatest happiness was teaching children in primary. She went out of her way to create lessons that would bring joy, and extended love to each child in her class. She lived the gospel and loved God and her Savior.

Even though Donna loved all things purple, she (along with her sister) cheered for the blue as a dedicated BYU Cougar fan! She hardly ever missed a game- football, basketball, volleyball and soccer. She especially loved football and knew all the players and followed them and their stats as she watched. Donna also was a huge Dallas Cowboys fan and was true to her Texas roots in cheering them on!

Donna was loved by so many and will especially be missed by her family including her sons, Bret and Gina Martin (Wimberly, TX), Dell and Heather Martin (Carson City, NV), and Lee and Lisa Martin (Alpine, CA), her sister Lora Lee Young (Cottonwood Heights, UT), and brother Bill and Penny Brown (St. George, UT). Her life was enriched by her seven grandchildren Reese, Chase, Brett, Ella, Zach, Derek and Davis, and seven great-grandchildren, whom she cherished deeply. She was a beloved aunt with many nieces and nephews who cherished their relationship with her. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother-in-law Jerry S. Young and nephew J. Scott Young.

Donna faced life's challenges with courage and unwavering faith, exemplified during some health struggles throughout her life. Over the last few years her children and their spouses lovingly cared for her every need with the help of her sister Lora Lee, her niece Shauna, and her nephew-in-law Layne, who she lived with. Donna’s family would also like to extend a heartfelt and genuine thank you to Donna’s team of healthcare providers. Thank you to Dr Romney and his nurse Kim, to doctors, nurses, and therapists at TOSH, and Intermountain Homecare, including Kathryn, Josh, Kaleb, and Aubrie. A very special thanks to Holly, Kenzie, Ryan, Anke, and Teresa from Symbii Hospice. Thank you also to her two great-nieces Tiffani and Anna for lending their nursing expertise. We will be forever grateful to you all for your compassionate and loving care of Donna! 

A special thanks to Chad Anderson with Goff Mortuary in Sandy, Utah for their professional and accommodating care and services. 

Family and friends will gather to remember Donna’s remarkable life on Saturday, December 21, 2024 at 10:00 am at the Top of the World LDS Chapel- 8100 S. Top of the World Dr, in Cottonwood Heights, UT. Her family invites all who knew her to join in honoring her memory and celebrating the extraordinary life she lived. If you are not able to join in person please use the link https://www.youtube.com/@topoftheworldward to join in a live stream of the funeral.