Donna Kay McGlone (née Slivinske), age 73, passed away on the morning of July 22nd, 2025, after years of fighting many personal health battles. Her family was by her side until the end as she slipped peacefully from this world to the next.
Donna was born August 17th, 1951 in Charlottesville, Virginia, to parents Alec Slivinske and Dorothy Morris. She was a precocious and social child, outspoken and unafraid to pursue life to the fullest from a young age. As a young girl Donna was a voracious reader, often reading whole encyclopedias for leisure in-between horseback riding, dancing, singing, swimming, and participating in numerous choirs. She excelled at everything she did and pursued every endeavor with dedication and passion.
She graduated from State College Area Highschool in 1969 and went on to major in Music Education at Penn State University, ultimately graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree in 1972. After Penn State, Donna became a beloved music teacher for several years and cherished her students, holding on to their school photos for years afterward. After leaving teaching behind she pursued an entirely different career path to banking starting in the 80’s where she found great success, both personally and professionally. She quickly climbed the ranks at Wilmington Trust, culminating in her promotion to Vice President. Donna retired promptly at the age of 60 in 2011 after a long, rewarding career when her company asked her to take once monthly business flights to Buffalo, New York - anyone who knew Donna knows she would never willingly step foot on a plane so frequently.
Donna enjoyed retirement fully with her husband of forty years, Terry McGlone, and her three beloved dogs Boo Boo, Yogi, and Rudy. She loved good meals with her friends, walks with her dogs, reading, television, rock music, and daily cross country, coast to coast morning calls with her “Stinky 2” sister Gayle (Donna of course being “Stinky 1”).
But most of all Donna loved her family endlessly and without limits. Though she had no biological children, she viewed her two nieces and two nephews as her own and would talk about them with pride to anyone who would listen. She also deeply loved her sister Gayle, brother Alec, husband Terry, and sister-in-law Susan who cared for her in her final days with the utmost compassion and love.
Donna was an intellectual force to be reckoned with, a beautiful soul inside and out bursting with compassion and lifelong selflessness. She was endlessly giving, tremendously funny, loving, and made a positive impact everywhere she went and deeply touched everyone who knew her. She will be sorely and greatly missed by her family forever. She is survived by her sister Gayle Slivinske, brother Alec Slivinske, nephew Alexander Slivinske, niece Shannon Slivinske, nephew Philip King (Cody Paiva), niece Alex King, grandnephew Ezra Slivinske, sister-in-law Susan Galbreath, and numerous close friends whose relationships she cherished so deeply.
The family would like to extend their gratitude to her long-term caregivers Evelyn and Melissa who viewed Donna as their own sister and treated her like family for the last five years of her life, bringing her comfort, compassion, and peace during a difficult period of her life.
Per her wishes, a small, private funeral was held on July 28th at All Saints Cemetery. She was laid to rest beside her husband, Terry McGlone, and now holds the ashes of her cherished dogs in her arms forever.
Those wishing to honor Donna’s memory and her lifelong love of animals are kindly invited to make a donation to Faithful Friends Animal Society of Delaware or Humane Animal Partners of Delaware in lieu of flowers.
