Donald Jay Sease

Notes:

From his great-grand-daughter, TerriAnn Wakeman

Graduated Clark High School 1927. He was engaged to his high school sweetheart Esther Bonfoey. Before the marriage he died along with his instructor while taking flying lessons. They were flying in a Curtis Jenny when it developed engine trouble right after takeoff and the plane crashed into a giant oak tree. He died before his daughter was born. His daughter was named Donna in honor of him. Donald's parents would have nothing to do with their grandchild because she was conceived out of wedlock and he died before the planned wedding. Donna was not told who here true father was until she became an adult.

Buried:
Rose HIll Cemetery; Blk D, Sec VII, Lot 9, Gr 2

Died:
Died in Plane Crash

Family/Spouse: Esther Arleta Bonfoey. Esther was born on 3 Jun 1908; died on 20 Jul 2005. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Story written by her daughter:

Donald Sease and Esther Bonfoey were high school sweethearts and engaged to be married after they graduated from high school. While they were engaged she became pregnant. Unfortunately Donald died in a flying accident before they were married. Since they were not yet married when Donald died, Donald's parents rejected Esther and refused to acknowledge Donald's daughter.

Since Donald died before Donna was born, her mother gave her the last name of the man she married after Donald died. She was not a blood relative to the Ivers family. She was not told who her blood father was until after she became an adult so she did not know that her sister was a half sister and the father she knew growing up was not her father. It wasn't until she received the letter from her mother (preserved in the family book) that she learned that she was named after her true birth father (Donald/Donna)

Around 1950 she was involved in a car accident and suffered chronic back pain for the rest of her life. The family had just visited Donna's Mother in Stockton, CA and was driving home to Cupertino Ca. Between Stockton and Tracy the car was struck from behind by a Greyhound bus. The car, a late 1940's Studebaker, was totaled. Greyhound got them to settle before Donna's chronic pain became obvious so there was no compensation for her injury. Just a new 1951 Ford to replace the Studebaker. Donna spent the rest of her life with chronic back pain that often left her in tears between trips to the chiropractor.

Donna had three husbands:

William Wakeman to whom she bore 2 daughters. Bill was a WWII Marine veteran who saw intense combat in the pacific. He had PTSD back before PTSD was recognized and tended to loose control when he consumed alcohol. She divorced him because of this. He never touched alcohol afterwords. After the divorce she and the children worked in orchards during the summer to have money for food. We cut apricots for drying then later in the season picked prunes off the ground. We ate a lot of pancakes for dinner because flour, eggs, and milk was all mom could afford. Her future husband Bruce Whaley got her a job at Westinghouse Sunnyvale winding transformers.

Bruce Whaley (Whaley-2163) was her second husband. He worked at Westinghouse Sunnyvale as a tool and die maker. In the very early 1970's they sold the house in Cupertino and moved to Trout Gulch, Montana. Not long after he died in a hunting accident. He never got around to changing his life insurance so his death benefits all went to his mother. Donna had the house and worked at the bar in town. When her mother died, her mother's entire estate went to her younger sister who was the one born in wedlock.

I don't remember the name of her third husband and never met him. My sister Carol, had met him and didn't like him at all. He owned a semi truck and drove loads as needed. He used what money she had to fix up the truck and when the money ran out he left her.

Donna spent her final years living near her daughter Carol in Texas until she died of liver cancer at 78. The cancer was diagnosed, just days before she died.

Family/Spouse: William Seymore Wakeman. William was born on 23 Mar 1923 in Pleasant Hill, Cass, Missouri, USA; died on 30 Sep 1966. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]