Donna Bernice (Francis) Prescott, 92, died peacefully at home in Prescott, Ariz. on April 30, 2023, surrounded by her family. Born in Oakwood, Mich. on Nov. 17, 1930, she was the fourth of Donald and Bernice Francis’s nine children.
Donna loved her first home in Oxford. The house she shared with her parents and all eight siblings was the cherished gathering place for extended family. (And it only had one bathroom.) Donna raised two children, Karen and Michael, in the Oxford area and lived there for more than 40 years.
Donna loved her home in Prescott, Ariz. She and her husband, Lowell Prescott, relocated in 1974 after first visiting the city because it was named for a distant relative, William Hickling Prescott. They decided to stay and raise son Frank and daughter Frances.
Donna loved her community. She held leadership roles in many local organizations, including the Prescott Symphony Guild and the Noon Lioness Club. She also led the Board of Trustees and the women’s group at the Prescott United Methodist Church and volunteered for church roles large and small, from treasury duties and managing funeral receptions to looking after kitchens and chairing rummage sales.
Donna loved her family above all. She hosted meals for every birthday, holiday and sporting event, often ending with a singalong or late-night card game. She celebrated her 85th birthday with her family on the Las Vegas Strip, her 90th birthday with a Zoom party during the pandemic, and her 92nd birthday at a glow-in-the-dark party at a castle-themed mansion.

Donna loved. And was greatly loved in return.

She is survived by her children: Karen Anderson, Michael Bergman (Kelly), Frank Prescott, and Frances Goldblum (Mark). She was a devoted Grandma to five grandchildren: Kathryn, Annie, Aidan, Alisa and William, and G.G. to three great-grandchildren: Max, Rosie and Ruth. Donna is also survived by her sisters Ro VanWagoner (Bill) and Gerry Wilfong, her brother, Bob Francis (Ellen), and her sister-in-law Jean Francis, as well as many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by Lowell, her husband of 52 years, her parents, and siblings Dorothy Younker, Milton Francis, Joyce Elliott, Richard Francis and Lynn “Butch” Francis.
In her memory, Donna has requested contributions to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to support a Type 1 Diabetes cure for her granddaughter Annie Roethel Field. Honoring her wishes, Donna’s family will hold a private memorial at a later date.

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Donna Prescott