by: Clyde Arnold
Donna and Lynn Russell moved to Hope at the beginning of our junior
year at Hope High School and lived in a duplex apartment on North
Hervey St. with their parents, Carl & Opal Russell. At the end of the
football season our junior year, I became closer friends with Sonny
Ellen and Jesse Duke who were dating the Russell girls. (Or Sonny
was dating Lynn for sure at the time.)
Tommy Doyle and I had been elected by our team mates as
co-captains for the '52 football team year and Tom and I were to pick
the co-homecoming queens for our senior year at HHS.
I first remember really getting to know Donna and Lynn Russell and
Patsy Samuels because they were all new at HHS and were friends.
Jesse Duke, Sonny Ellen, and I were always friends and fellow
football players so we all started associating more together. The next
thing I knew Patsy and I were dating as were Sonny and Lynn. Donna
dated several of the guys and was like a sister to all of us. She kept
us all laughing with her jokes and good humor all the time. (All three
girls were in the Homecoming Royalty in the HHS '53 annual.)
I spent a lot of my time our senior year at their parents' home as did
Jesse, Patsy, and Sonny with the Russell girls. Not twins..Lynn was
double promoted at Bodcaw by Louise Fuller, Barky's mom who told
me this. As a result, I got to know Carl and Opal Russell well. (We
became lifetime friends/) They treated Jesse and me like family and,
of course, Sonny became their son-in-law when he married Lynn on
January 28, 1958.
At the end of high school in 1953, Jesse joined the Marines with John
Keck, Ellis Rothwell, and Richard Chism. Sonny Ellen and I attended
Southern State College for a year or so. Donna and Lynn went to
business schools, I believe, and later went to work in Dallas, TX. I
learned from
Sonny that he transferred to Texas A&M from SSC to be closer to
Lynn. I left SSC to serve a couple of years for Uncle Sam in Korea.
It was about April 1957 that I visited Lynn and her mom, Opal, at their
Dallas apartment and spent the night on my way to Waco. It was
there that I remember visiting with Donna Earl Nafe, who had married
Gerald July 16, 1955. I instantly liked her husband, Gerald! He was
perfect for Donna who still had that beautiful smile and great
personality. Gerald told me a joke that I've never
forgotten---just to see me blush. I think Donna put him up to it and he
definitely accomplished his purpose.<g>
We stayed in contact with each other through Sonny and Lynn Ellen
and we all attended an AR vs Texas A&M football game during the
early sixties. A&M won and a lot of kissing was going on. It was
sometime around 1968 that Gerald, Donna and boys (Todd and
Derek) moved from San Angelo to Waco, TX where Benja, our girls
LeeAnn and Amy Lynn and I lived. Benja and Donna became much
closer friends and Benja was helpful in getting Donna a job at
Success Motivation Institute. Benja had worked there since our
marriage and was the 4th employee at SMI. Donna, Gerald and our
families continued to fellowship, kids playing games in the parks,
visiting in each others' homes, having Easter egg hunts etc. until my
transfer by USPS to Chickasha, OK in 1969.
Later in 1973, after my transfer to Shrevesport, LA, I remember
Donna calling me by phone to describe how much fun they were
having and who all was attending the 1973 reunion. I had the flu at the
time but remember it as if it were yesterday. (See '73 reunion and
photos taken by Gerald and Donna Nafe and furnished by them to our
web site committee.
http://hopeclassof1953.com/reunion_73.html )
At our next reunion in 1983 http://hopeclassof1953.com/reunion_83
I had been transferred to NYC and my middle daughter, Amy Lynn
(named after Lynn Ellen and Richard Lynn Hunt) was enrolled at
Henderson State and was my date that week end. (See pics
published on Donna's memorial page of the Russell reunion that
same weekend.) Donna, Gerald, Benja and I stayed close friends all
these many years. After Benja's death, I made several visits to Donna
and Gerald's home in Waco when I visited my sister, Imogene, who
lived near them. Donna still loved to have fun, read and write emails
a lot, and operate her personal computer. Her loving husband,
Gerald, was a great caregiver! He was very supportive of Donna to
the very end of her days on God's earth. Donna is now in the hands
of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Donna was always upbeat, laughing and fun to be around and knew
how to live. Our '53 class reunions have not been the same since her
passing and I know everyone in the '53 class misses her
greatly--especially me.
Donna Earl Russell Nafe was a very special lady friend of mine.
Clyde Arnold
May 9, 2009
Donna Earl Russell Nafe