Donna Faye Andrews

On Thursday, August 10, 2023, Donna Faye Andrews, 74, of Contact, Nevada passed away at her daughter’s home in North Ogden, Utah.

Donna was born on October 27, 1948, in Twin Falls, Idaho to William A. Turnbaugh and Betty Lou Hall.

She was predeceased by both her parents, her beloved aunt Jessie Jean Turnbaugh and Uncle Stewart Turnbaugh, her husband Harold Josiah Andrews, her brother Edward Turnbaugh, and two half siblings, Robert Lee Allen and Erma Allen. She is survived by three sons: Michael Odom, Harold Andrews Jr, Randolph Andrews; and a daughter: Rachael Moore-Stock. Donna was also blessed with four amazing grandchildren: Raven (Jon) Ramirez, Vincent Andrews, Breanna Andrews, and Garrett Odom as well as two great grandchildren: Mateo and Lucy Ramirez.

Donna attended Rancho High School in Las Vegas but left before obtaining a diploma.  She followed her heart to New Orleans Louisiana with Nelson Odom and married him shortly, thereafter, learning in the hardest of ways that our heart can be easily betrayed by those who never deserved it.  However, it was there, a few years later, that she met her next husband for life.

Donna and Harold were married on May 21, 1971, in Las Vegas, Nevada. They raised their family in Torrington, Connecticut where they rented a farm and called it Morning Dew Farms. They spent their free time on the farm to provide sustenance for the family and create extra income by selling vegetables at the local farmer's markets, animals at the auction, and delivering fresh eggs weekly to local residents.

Donna was a hard worker who continually improved herself.  She went back to night school to get her GED while working as a seamstress in a local factory.  She then worked at the Timex factory making watches while also attending trade school to become a machinist.  It was there that she created solid stainless-steel rings for her and her husband that would adorn both their hands for the rest of their lives. She went back to school yet again to learn secretarial skills such as typing and shorthand and used these to land a job with the Traveler’s Insurance Company out of Hartford, Connecticut. 

With the passing of her father in 1985, she inherited property in Contact, Nevada and decided with Harold to relocate the family and the sheep, arriving in the little ghost town on July 3^rd, 1986. There Morning Dew Farms lived on as a small sheep ranch specializing in the breeding, showing, and sale of registered Montadale and Oxford sheep.  In nearby Jackpot, she worked as a secretary for the marketing department in the Cactus Pete’s Casino working on promotional materials.  She also worked closely with well-known author, Carl Hayden, to ensure his bimonthly newsletter went out on time to hundreds of casino patrons located all over the world. When the department was downsized, she worked in the change booth while going to dealer’s school at night and upon completion, did a short stint as a table dealer.  She also worked as a cook for the San Jacinto Ranch feeding dozens of cowboys alongside Lucy Bean and Jane Secrist.  She worked in Reservations at The Four Jacks for a couple of years before reutilizing her secretarial skills as an Elko County Court Clerk in Jackpot.  When the Jackpot courthouse was later closed down by the County, she became an independent contractor for The Times News, delivering news from Twin Falls, Idaho area to all of Northeastern Nevada.  Throughout all her work history, she was also a representative for Avon and Mary Kay Cosmetics at different times.  While working at The Four Jacks, she and Monica Jack started the first ever 4-H club in Jackpot.

In her free time, Donna loved to sew, crochet, craft, garden, cook, and bake.  Her famous mayonnaise cake is still fondly remembered today as well as her holiday dinner spreads and family cookouts.  She loved all kinds of music and was very good at ice skating and roller skating.  She loved the color purple.  She was an avid reader.  Her favorite flowers were lilacs, honeysuckle, and iris.  She loved to watch the hummingbirds and other birds at the feeders she hung outside her windows. She was especially fond of horses from a very young age as well as cats, dogs, and other animals. 

Donna lived a full and interesting life but in 1998, she suffered the first of many strokes that would over time, take her ability to use her left arm, drive, then walk without assistive devices, and eventually her ability to speak or swallow.   She was a strong, independent woman who chose her own end, refusing feeding tubes or machines.  She lived an astonishing 24 more days and remained fully cognizant until the day before she passed.

There are many to thank for the long history of caring for Donna, from the Jackpot EMT’s, police, and fire departments, to St. Lukes Hospital medical staff in Twin Falls.  Everlasting gratitude goes out to Dan Hamilton and the staff at Williamsburg Independent Living in Logan, Utah who helped give Donna a home of her own under terrible and urgent emergency circumstances on a holiday weekend in the middle of COVID and then took great care of her until a stroke and fall made it no longer possible. Thank you to Atlas Home Health that arranged for her to come home, and to Katie, Khorie, and Misty for their daily checks and care.  We are especially grateful to Tawnya, Emelee, Katie, Lisa and the many others with The Visiting Angels who cared for her at home coming multiple times a day, keeping her comfortable, helping in all kinds of other ways, and giving her “spa nights” with the works which she thoroughly enjoyed. Special thanks also to Wendy Eaton who “adopted” Donna as her second mom and ensured she always felt pretty with exceptional nail care and to Lisa Mikesell with the Fig Salon for giving Donna her last haircut and style in the hospital.

A viewing will be held for Donna on Saturday, August 19, 2023, at 1pm at Leavitt’s Mortuary & Aultorest Memorial Park at 836 36^th St, Ogden, Utah 84403.  A funeral service will begin at 2pm followed by a graveside consecration, and the interment of both Donna and Harold Andrews.

 Donna loved flowers, but please also consider making a charitable donation in her name to an organization working towards rights to die in Utah, Nevada, or Idaho such as Compassion & Choices (https://compassionandchoices.sitefinity.cloud) or Death with Dignity (https://deathwithdignity.org).