Donna June Hawkins-Chiswell was born on December 1, 1952. She graduated from OU with honors in 1975 with a BA in Journalism. She turned down a job with UPI to travel the open road with her first husband, Wayne and her Great Dane, Gina. Donna and Wayne lived in Lake City, Colorado and Casper, Wyoming where Donna was always surrounded by numerous dogs, cats and horses that she rescued. She requested that her final resting place be in Lake City. When Wayne died in 1995, Donna moved back to Oklahoma City to be near family and friends. She was employed by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, Office of Inspector General, as a Social Services Inspector III. She married Charles Chiswell in 2002. Donna was an extraordinary individual. When Charlie developed ALS, Donna took care of him in their home until he died in 2008. Donna was a talented writer and artist. She inherited the gift of gardening from her Grandma Mary and like her, painted beautiful pictures in her garden with her plants and flowers. She also loved decorating her home, traveling, reading, movies, music, OU Football, and spending time with her animals, friends and family. Donna's greatest love and legacy, however, was her love for animals. Throughout her life, she rescued countless dogs and cats and gave them a warm and loving home. Donna leaves behind loving sisters, Diana, Brenda, Barbara and her husband Steve and best friends, Sue, Annie and Mike. She also leaves behind her beloved dogs Bunny and Rico, cats, Baby, Bella, Eva, Ava and Piper who will be well cared for and much loved. Donna touched the lives of many and was loved very much by all of those who knew her. We will miss spending time with our sister and friend but we know that in Heaven, instead of being the caregiver, she is now the one being taken care of. We take comfort in knowing that she is reunited with loved ones and all of those wonderful animals that are welcoming her home and showering her with all of the love and affection that she gave so easily to them while she was here on earth. "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains asleep." Contributions can be made in Donna's name to any animal refuge organization such as Free to Live and Pets and People.