Donna Lee Ritchie, 78, of Dayton, Indiana passed away on April 10th, 2023 surrounded by many loved ones and friends. Born June 7th, 1944, as Julia Ann Ward, adopted by Errol and Marie Raught and given the name Donna Lee Raught in Montmorenci, Indiana.

Donna was a devoted wife to her late husband, Thomas Ronald Ritchie, and a loving mother to her children, Robert Earl Drey, Roy Franklin Drey, Virginia Mae McDonald, Ryan Lee Drey, Natalie Elaine Tapia, and Beth Anne Cabat. She was a cherished grandmother to seventeen grandchildren including her granddaughter Tara Lynn Drey who passed in 2019, 4 great grandchildren, and many more who were blessed to call her mom and Nanny. (Which is what her grandchildren would come to know her as)

Donna met the love of her life Thomas Ritchie in Lafayette, Indiana while both working the night shift at General Foods. After falling in love, they decided to move to Texas where they got married in December 1977 and bought their family home in La Porte, Texas. They had a love to last the ages and it shone through every day. You could always catch them in the morning reading the paper on the back porch while enjoying a fresh cup of coffee and winding down in the evenings reading novels in bed. In the summertime their home was the place to be, you could always find them floating in the backyard pool together enjoying the warm Texas sun. Donna and Thomas spent as many moments as they could together, laughing, smiling and just relishing in life together with their family and adored pets.

Donna had a passion for music, dance and cooking. With that being said it’s only natural that around every holiday you would find Donna in the kitchen cooking her famous homemade noodles and Michigan Rock Cookies while dancing and singing to Barry Manilow, and Barbara Streisand. She always surprised everyone with the amount of extensive table space used to layout the perfect noodles and the freezer space needed to store the dozens of cookies.

The holidays at Nanny’s house are where you would always wish to be. The house was decorated head to toe, and she always had a warm fire going and plenty of cards for Pinochle.

Every day spent in her home was full of love and laughter, from children to grandchildren to family friends and neighbors her door was always open and her heart even more. She will be missed more than words could ever express, but her legacy will live on through our dearest memories, her famous recipes, the greatest untold love story and her noteworthy words of wisdom. “It’s nothing but a thing” – reminding us, what matters most is family and that we should remember to cherish every moment we have with them.

Thank you for being the best Nana anyone could ever ask for. We are beyond lucky to have had you in our lives.

A family gathering will be held in La Porte, Texas to celebrate her life. If you would like to reach out to the family, we encourage you to do so as your kind words are always welcome. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you spend an evening with your loved ones enjoying a home-cooked meal and share your most cherished memories together.