Donna Lee (Grimm Gourley) Rufner

Donna was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on January 9, 1947 as the only child of Elsie Herrmann Grimm and Clifford Grimm. After graduating from high school in Cincinnati in 1965, she attended Wilmington Collage, but after witnessing a tragic automobile accident during her freshman year that claimed the lives of close classmates, she disenrolled. She then began a 23 year career as an editor for TV Guide. In 1968 she married Jim Gourley upon his return from Viet Nam. Two children, Andrew and Jenna, were born of that marriage. The family moved to Colorado in 1980, which was quite a change for Donna, as she had never been west of Indiana until then. Sadly, that marriage ended in divorce in 1989. In 2001, after a 4 year engagement, Donna married Rick Rufner who remained by her side until her death in February this year. Her parents and her son Andrew pre-deceased her. She is survived by her daughter Jenna Allen (James), daughter in law Kristen and her beloved grandchildren Ella, Max and Connor, step children Dan Rufner (Sara), Kevin Rufner (Lorraine), step grandchildren Brady, Annika, Bryce and Audrey, and numerous cousins.

Donna was so happy to share with Rick her love of travel and the discovery of new and exciting places to visit around the world. She particularly loved her many catamaran sailing trips that stretched from Greece, the Caribbean, Belize, Panama Canal to Tahiti where she would sit on the bow chair of the catamaran and “ride the waves”. Her adventurous spirit found her backpacking in the Rockies, canoeing the Boundary Waters, ultralight flying in Belilze, snorkling with 6 foot sharks in Tahiti, rafting the Grand Canyon and sleeping under the stars for 13 days, flying a glider over the Vermont mountains to see the Fall colors, sky diving on her 75^th birthday, “mud sliding” in the Bay of Fundy after the incredible 46 foot Bore Tide subsided, exploring an iron mine in upper Michigan, exploring Bora Bora on her motor scooter, trying a very fresh sea urchin served by the diver right out of the Maine waters (“ugh”), hiking Carlsbad Caverns and Mammoth Cave, walking her beloved basset hounds on the beaches of Oregon, marveling at the grandeur of the Canadian Rockies, and sharing with Rick for 30 continuous months the ups and downs of RV life. And so many, many more.

She loved gardening so much so that she just could not resist planting her garden before Mother’s Day each year in spite of Rick’s warning to her of the inevitable Colorado frost. In her later years she so enjoyed doing care giving, mostly in and around Heritage Eagle Bend. Tennis was also a big part of her life, which included a trip with her team in 2012 to play in the USGA national finals in Arizona. Of course, nothing could please her more than her beloved Basset Hounds that lit up her life. She couldn’t live without them.

We shall all miss her extended hand of caring, her smile and the joy she has brought to all her knew her. But, those smiles shall certainly endure and continue to brighten each of our lives as we recall those special memories that each of us shall always have of her. Donna, although saddened by your passing, we thank you that you provided so many memories for all of us which shall continue to live within us and to brighten the days of those of us who know and love you.