Donna Oliver

Donna May Fryrear Oliver died Oct. 16, 2018. She was born to William Alfred and Marjorie (Adams) Fryrear on Nov. 19, 1932, at the Haxtun Hospital. Welcoming her home to the family farm south of Paoli was older sister Gloria Jean. Later they would be joined by sister Joyce Aileen and brother Donald William.
    Donna attended the McKelvey School in the rural Wages community along with her sisters and brother. They drove a horse and buggy to and from school. Later the four children shared a bicycle for transportation. Many of Donna’s lifelong friendships were first begun in that small one-room schoolhouse.
    After the McKelvey School, she attended Phillips County High School for one year before completing her education at Haxtun High School, where she graduated in 1950.
    The Fryrears were a farm family, and Donna was a true country girl. She worked hard to help make the farm prosper and the home run smoothly. Like any farm kid, she milked cows, gathered eggs, fed the livestock, gardened, canned and cooked.
    Donna and the rest of the Fryrear family were early 4-H members in Phillips County. She exhibited cattle at the county fair, the Colorado State Fair, and Fort Worth and National Western stock shows. She was very proud to have exhibited the reserve champion steer at the state fair in 1948. It was at the county fair that she first met Billy Oliver, and the couple began to date.
    After graduation from Haxtun High School, Donna went to work in the First National Bank. In 1955, Donna was united in marriage to William G. “Billy” Oliver on July 3 at the Holyoke Methodist Church. The young couple moved to the country north of Holyoke to begin life as a farm couple.
    Donna and Billy had three children: Lynda May, William Randal and Kathy Jean. While she cared for the children and kept a comfortable and welcoming home, she also helped Billy in the fields and with the livestock.
    In 2002, Billy and Donna moved into town where they had more time to socialize with friends and enjoy a semi-retirement lifestyle. This gave Donna more time to volunteer. She had always been very active in the Methodist Church, where she served as lay leader, was president of the United Methodist Women and always stepped forward to help where needed. She was honored and recognized for her many services to her church and was especially proud of being named a “Quiet Disciple.” She also volunteered at the museum, the hospital and the library and was a member of the Agenda Club.
    Donna had a creative soul. She loved to sew and made clothes for her family as well as countless quilts. She mended and altered clothes for friends. She liked to knit and crochet and made many clever and crafty things.
    Donna was also a collector. She collected things such as teapots and tea cups, sewing knickknacks, books, china, glassware and angels. But the one thing she collected in abundance was friends. She loved to visit and always had time to share. The door to her home was always open to anyone who wanted to stop in for a chat and a glass of tea or a cup of coffee. She absolutely loved to help others and could always be counted on to help a sick friend or neighbor.
    Donna was preceded in death by her parents, William and Marjorie Fryrear; father- and mother-in-law, Maynard and Agnes Oliver; beloved husband, Billy Oliver; and brother-in-law, Chuck Toyne.
    Donna is survived by her son, Randy Oliver and wife Becky; daughter, Kathy Bornhoft and husband Tim; daughter, Lynda Firme and husband Randy; grandchildren, Ryan Oliver and wife Jessica, Gentry Wolfe and husband Jeremy, Jeff Firme and wife Kortney, Carly Risley and husband David, Drew Bornhoft and Tate Bornhoft; great-grandchildren, Addison, Paige and Reid Oliver, Lily and Max Firme, and Jack Risley; sisters, Gloria Jean Toyne and Joyce Zwirn and husband Don; and brother, Bill Fryrear and wife Sherry. Many cousins and other family members, along with a host of friends, mourn her passing.
    Funeral services will be held Friday, Oct. 26, at 10:30 a.m. at First United Methodist Church of Holyoke with Pastor Paul Brunner officiating.
    Memorials are preferred.
    The service was directed by Baucke Funeral Home.