Donetta Grabb Heishman (1943 – 2022)

Donetta Grabb Heishman passed away February 22, 2022, at 12:06 p.m. with her daughter and a hospice chaplain at her side after listening to her favorite hymn, How Great Thou Art.

Donetta Grabb Heishman

Born in 1943 to Donald and Georgetta Grabb, Donetta had a successful career in banking, was a proud military wife, and a lover of all things beautiful. She traveled the world and served the communities in which she lived.

Donetta held lifetime memberships with the women’s auxiliaries of the VFW and American Legion and was honored as a Kentucky Colonel. She belonged to the United Methodist Church. She loved animals. She devoured books and soda pop. She enjoyed baking, crocheting, hosting parties, and twirling a fire baton. Donetta rode motorcycles with Rolling Thunder and chauffeured celebrities in the Apple Blossom parades. She admired Dolly Parton, Erik Estrada, and Donald Trump, and lived a life completely on her own terms.

Donetta is survived by her dog, Schatzi; her daughter, Lavenda (Thomas) Denney; her granddaughter, Victoria Denney; a nephew that she considered a son, Kyle Rhodes; three siblings, Terry (Sue) Grabb, Lynette (Chris) Flannigan, and Debra (Kevin) Burke; and a host of extended family and friends.

Donetta will be laid to rest with her beloved husband, William H. Heishman, in a private ceremony at Quantico National Cemetery in Triangle, Virginia.

Contributions in honor of Donetta may be made to the Commonwealth Senior Living Employee Holiday Fund, 600 Mount View Street, Front Royal, VA 22630. They protected her, pampered her, loved her, and had a genuine appreciation for her tenacity and ornery spirit, which dementia could not steal.