Donna Saunders Napier - LHS Class of 1949

Mrs. Donna Laverne Napier, the youngest child of the late Vertna and Lula (King) Saunders was born Nov. 21, 1931, in Leavenworth.
She departed this life on Tuesday, March 23, 2010.
She graduated from Leavenworth Senior High School in 1949 after which she attended St. Mary College and then General Hospital School of Nursing in Kansas City, Mo.
Upon graduating, she was given the Lorenda S. Harris Award for superior performance.
Donna was the first African American nurse to work at Munson Army Hospital at Fort Leavenworth and at Mountain Bell Occupational Health Department in Denver, Colo.
While at Mountain Bell she completed the adult nurse practitioner course at the University of Colorado.
She derived much satisfaction from taking the best possible care of her patients.
Her championship of social causes that focused on equal rights for all led her to participate in peaceful marches for fair housing and employment opportunities in Denver in the 1960s, not just for herself, but for future generations.
At the age of 11, she accepted Jesus as her personal Savior after hearing her brother Boyd preach.
Having been a member of the Seventh-day Adventist church for more than 60 years, she faithfully served in several capacities in various locations; choir member, deaconess, pianist and health advocate.
Family members who preceded her in death were her parents; her brothers, Vertna Jr. and Boyd (LHS Class of 1937); her sisters, Lorraine (LHS Class of 1935) and Corrine; nephews, Ron Carr, Royce McClanahan (LHS Class of 1960) and Blaine Saunders (LHS Class of 1973); and a niece, Beth Hart (LHS Class of 1959).
Besides her loving husband, John whom she married Dec. 4, 1967, she leaves to cherish her memory; her sister, Dorothy McClanahan (LHS Class of 1931); a specially devoted great niece, Starla Carr (LHS Class of 1992); several nieces and nephews; and many great and great-great nieces and nephews.
Her sweet smile, soft voice, elegant demeanor and her compassionate and caring nature will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
She was cremated. Private services are planned.

A news report after that sad day:
A Leavenworth woman died Tuesday morning after she ignored flashing warning lights at a railroad crossing, drove over the tracks, stopped and then backed into a train’s path.
Donna Napier, 78, died in the crash, which occurred about 7:10 a.m. near 135th and Cherry streets in south Kansas City.
Patrice Burgess said she was driving her daughter to school when she saw Napier drive around the railroad crossing arms despite the flashing warning lights. Napier drove over the tracks and appeared to clear the path of the train, but stopped and then backed up, Burgess said.
The slow-moving train collided with the car, pushing it along the tracks.
Burgess said she jumped out of her car and climbed between two rail cars and then toward Napier, whose car was crushed on the driver’s side. Napier was slumped near the steering wheel and did not respond.
Emergency crews extricated Napier and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation. She was declared dead at the scene.