(May 7, 1958 – August 15, 2019)
Donna Kay Finney, my sister, was the middle child of us five siblings. She was popular, talented, athletic and competitive in sports and in business. She was a wife and mother of two children.
Donna graduated from Notre Dame University in 1980 with a BFA in Industrial Design and went on to work for Fisher-Price, then for Playskool, designing toys, strollers and car seats for children.
She was also a remarkable seamstress, potter and artist. I own many examples of her handiwork: bowls and bags, mugs and shirts, and charming pictures of a variety of subjects.
When she offered to illustrate my five Perri the Poetry Fairy Presents: Poetry for Kids activity books, I was thrilled. I knew she would do a great job: even as a child she had displayed a tremendous talent for drawing. So we collaborated. She created delightful illustrations for these poems I wrote for children. The books have been very well received.
Donna died too soon of pancreatic cancer, a cruel disease. To honor her creative talent and energy, I am donating some proceeds from sales of these books to pancreatic cancer research, in her memory. Your purchases will help support this effort.