Donna Becker

After an unexpected and aggressive battle with Alzheimer's, Donna J. Becker passed away peacefully on the afternoon of March 30th, 2024. Donna grew up in Springfield Township, OH and graduated from Springfield High School. She moved to Akron, OH as a teenager and shortly after she began working as a Case Worker for the Department of Job and Family Services, where she worked for the next 35 years, retiring from her position as a Supervisor at the age of 55. She met her beloved husband John in her late 30s. They married in 1991 and settled in the West Akron area. They welcomed their first and only child, a daughter named Emily, in October of 1992.

Donna had a life-long love of athletics and was active in soccer, marathoning, softball, tennis, and swimming into adulthood. She ran daily, well into her 50s, only stopping for a knee replacement, after which she substituted her daily run with a daily five-mile walk. Donna also had a passion for animals, working at the Akron Zoo for some time, and was known for extensively working with her own dogs, even volunteering for years through Therapy Dogs International with her dog Marley.

After John's passing in 2007, Donna returned to social work, manning the phone lines at Infoline for another 10 years before officially retiring in 2019 to become a professional grandmother to her grandsons Mason and John Jr. Donna had a kind heart and was generous to a fault. She was vibrant, outgoing, sarcastic, and stubborn, making her an unforgettable light in our world. Her memory will be happily passed on through her friends and family with pictures, stories, and traditions.

Donna leaves behind: her sisters, Sandra McCombs (Krohmer) and Linda Watkins (Krohmer); her daughter and son-in-law, Emily and John Mahaffey (Becker); and her precious grandsons, Mason and John Jr. She is preceded in death by: her parents, Walburg (Bus) and Ruthie Krohmer (Powell); her siblings, Newman (Chriss) Krohmer and Marguerite (Peggy) Krohmer; and her dearest husband, John Becker. There will be no services at this time. A celebration of life ceremony will take place over the summer. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Akron Zoo at www.akronzoo.org, or to the Alzheimer's Association at act.alz.org in memory of Donna.