Nashville, TN — Donna Moneyhon Wafford, 91, passed peacefully July 17, 2025, at Alive Hospice in Nashville, TN, with her beloved Edgar Booher by her side.
She was born to Orville and Ludie Moneyhon on November 7, 1933. She had three older siblings, Norma, Leo, and Marlin, until a much-loved younger brother, Darwin, joined the family. She was affectionately known as “Donna June.” She grew up in Berlin, in northern Kentucky, on a tobacco farm. It was a simple and hard-working life. Play required imagination, like using tobacco sticks as imaginary ponies. Donna was a beauty, and she was popular enough to be a cheerleader at Butler High School, but her mom wouldn’t let her. She married Bill Wafford during her Senior year of high school because he was leaving for the Service. She lived at home and worked in Cincinnati during the two years he was abroad. Within a year of his return, daughter, Joan was born to them in 1953, and they lived in Falmouth, a small town in northern Kentucky.
The marriage ended after ten years and Donna and Joan moved to Southgate, Kentucky in 1959, so she could work in Cincinnati. She did office work for Remington Rand. Donna felt the sting of being a divorcee and the pressure of being a single mom when it was not so common. And yet her faith and sheer determination sustained her.
In 1963, Donna and Joan moved to Atlanta to live near her only sister, Norma, and her family. Donna worked for a prominent developer, Julian LeCraw, and his family. She became like one of the family. She was smart and learned about property management and eventually got her real estate license. Her outgoing personality was an asset.
Eventually, Donna moved to Nashville, TN to be closer to her daughter, Joan, and her family. She worked for an Environmental Testing company as an office manager. Donna was an active officer on the Boards of her condo associations. She loved her family, was a creative cook, a writer of poetry, and faithfully attended Two Rivers Baptist Church and later Metro Baptist Church. For fun, she enjoyed traveling with Joan and her family. Some of her favorite trips were Hawaii, an Alaskan cruise, Florida, and a cruise to Bermuda. Upon retirement, her joy was being a step-on tour guide in Nashville. She was a wonderful host to the city and could entertain the visitors with her antics and fun stories.
Donna received a surprise visitor at her door on Jan 1, 2007. It was an old high school classmate, Edgar Booher. His wife had died, and he was a looking for a friend. Donna had given up on dating and had prayed to God, “if you think I need a man, then you’ll have to send him.” Ed was an answer to her prayer and his arrival was the start of a beautiful companionship enduring her last eighteen years.
Donna was proud of her family. She is survived by her daughter, Joan Bruce; her husband, Don; grandchildren, Mikele (Reed) Goodchild, Holly Bruce; three great-grandchildren, Mila, Bauer, Bodie Goodchild; brother, Darwin (Eileen) Moneyhon; many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.