Donna Ann Duty

SHREVEPORT, LA - Donna Ann Duty, 82, a long-time resident of Shreveport, LA, passed away on May 9, 2016. Visitation will be on Friday, May 20, 2016 at St Mary of the Pines Catholic Church from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. A Rosary will be prayed at 11:30 a.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 12:00 p.m. at St Mary of the Pines Catholic Church with Rev. Francis Kamau, F.M.H., officiating. Burial will follow at Forest Park West, 4000 Meriwether Road in Shreveport. Donna died peacefully with her family at her side. She was a very attentive mother and grandmother, and loved the company of her large family. Donna was a life-long Catholic who deeply loved the Lord and the Blessed Mother. She clung to her faith as her health was failing. She was the second of five children and spent her youth in Newark, Ohio, before earning her degrees in Elementary Education and English from the University of Detroit. Donna lived with and cared for her grandfather while a university student. Donna spent a number of years teaching school in Ohio and a short stint as an interim principal. She met her husband, Cletus, after attending daily Mass. St Francis de Sales Church was across the street from the store her family owned and operated. Donna married the love of her life in her hometown of Newark, Ohio, in late 1961. As Cletus was a widower with three children, Donna had an instant family to love and care for. Their family moved several times to eastern Ohio, Texas, and Louisiana as their number expanded to include two more children. Donna and Cletus spent most of their married life in Shreveport, rearing their children in the Catholic faith and tradition. She volunteered at local schools as a reading tutor for children, as well as an adult literacy educator. Donna was very active at their church, St Mary of the Pines, working as a religious education catechist and in the Women's Guild service activities. Donna moved to North Texas in 2013 to be closer to her Texas family. She lived in St Joseph Village, a Catholic retirement community in Coppell, Texas, until just before her passing. Donna is preceded in death by her husband of 44 years, Cletus Duty; her parents, Adeline and Charles Swank; her son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Debbie Duty; and her brother, Paul Swank. She is survived by her two sisters and one brother; Evelyn Heath of Stamford, CT; Charlene Core of Reynoldsburg, OH; and David Swank and wife, Kathy, of Weeki Wachee, FL. Donna is also survived by her three daughters and one son; Rita Hustus and husband, Glen, of Conroe, TX; Joan Lorraine and husband, Bill, of Devine, TX; Mary Hicks and husband, Bryan, of Flower Mound, TX; and Kevin Duty and wife, Michelle, of Katy, TX. Donna has 15 grandchildren: Vanessa Lorraine, Leah Akins, Nathan Lorraine, Neil Lorraine, John Duty, Mark Duty, Craig Duty, Michael Duty, Steven Duty, Blake Duty, Ashlyn Duty, Garrett Hicks, Joel Hicks, Aaron Hicks, Caroline Hicks, and 9 great-grandchildren, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Donna's greatest joy was to show her love for the blessings of her family by making big family gatherings a joyful, bustling event. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the American Heart Association or the American Cancer Society in Donna's name.