At age 73, Donna Melville slipped on her kitchen floor and broke her hip. Four days later, her neighbor, whom she had known for nearly 50 years, discovered her barely conscious, but alive. Her house in Park Manor, her pride and joy for more than half her life, almost became her tomb. But there was no way this tough Irish lass from Johnson City would let that happen.
During those 96 hours in agony, Donna, who could not reach the phone above her on the wall, survived on grit and determination.
When doctors stabilized her in the ER, she didn’t ask them about her health, she wanted to know if the Giants beat the Cowboys. When told that it was only Saturday and that the game had not been played yet, she smiled.
Her doctor wrote only four words on her chart that day: “Too stubborn to die.”
Donna grew up in a blue-collar neighborhood with an older brother Gary and a younger brother David. Her father, Gilbert Hillis, was a firefighter. Her mother Louise Krewson divorced “Gilly” after a time, and Alice Hillis became Donna’s stepmother.
After graduating from Johnson City High School and while working at Bell Telephone, Donna met and married the love of her life, Craig Melville in 1962. Three children and 16 years later, Donna tragically lost Craig to cancer. At age 35, Donna faced an uncertain life as a single mother.
Her Catholic faith and friends from St. Joseph’s Church and the community guided her through difficult times. Life moved on. Family vacations to Wildwood, N.J. Planting flowers in the spring. Watching her kids’ sporting events. She even learned to keep the scorebook at Little League baseball games.
She landed a job at IBM in the paper procurement department, which she kept for nearly 25 years. Her kids graduated from Union-Endicott High School and all earned college degrees. Her children’s successes made her proud and she was not shy about it.
Donna loved to dance (Neil Diamond was a go-to), have a few glasses of wine, laugh like a loon (her words) with friends, and watch (and complain about) the New York Giants. She inherited that curse from Louise.
A social and outgoing personality, Donna participated in various leagues and clubs over the years with activities involving sewing, crafting, quilting, and loved a good beach read. She volunteered for St. Joseph’s Church, the Catholic Youth Organization, and had fun working the pizza fritte concession stand at the church’s annual bazaar. She helped give back to the community through her church by collecting and distributing items for those in need. She also made the “world’s greatest” kolachki.
The best times for her were in her golden years as grandma to her four grandchildren. She loved babysitting when they were young and hearing about all of their adventures as adults. She was proud to wear their respective college sweatshirts and follow them on social media.
But eventually, time catches up with you, and no matter how tough and stubborn you are in life, in the end, peace rests your soul.
Donna Louise (Hillis) Melville, age 81, formerly of Endwell, N.Y., passed away on May 30, 2024, in Plymouth Meeting, Pa., after a short hospitalization. She was predeceased by her husband, Craig Melville, her mother, Louise Krewson, her father, Gilbert Hillis, and her stepmother, Alice Hillis.
She will be greatly missed by her children, Rick (Michele), Teresa (Carl) Regillo, and Thomas (Rosa Maria) as well as her grandchildren, Jake (Julia) and Max Melville, and Audrey and Grant (Rachel) Regillo. She is survived by her two brothers, Gary in St. Louis, and David in Vestal, N.Y.
A funeral mass will take place at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 19, at St. Joseph’s Church, 207 Hayes Ave., Endicott, N.Y. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Johnson City, N.Y. A luncheon to follow at Atrio, 411 Hooper Rd., Endwell. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the 24 Foundation, which supports cancer patients. https://events.24foundation.org/fundraiser/5369723.