In Memoriam
On May 10, 2010, the entire Shady Lane community suffered a huge loss when longtime Lead Educator Donna Chase died after a two-month struggle with leukemia.
Donna began her long relationship with Shady Lane as a parent, her sons Matthew and Alex having both graduated from the School. Already a talented teacher, Donna stayed on at Shady Lane after her sons moved on. Over the course of 18 years, Donna served as an Educator with Penny Fahlman in the Older Threes; was the first Lead Educator in the Mixed Age Class (MAC), helping establish our continuing collaboration with the Watson Institute's LEAP Program; served as Co-Lead Educator with Maren Herman in the Young Threes; and, most recently, took on the challenge of establishing Shady Lane's second multi-age classroom, the Partners Class. From September 2007 until her diagnosis in March 2010, Donna led the Partners team, most recently in collaboration with Amy Linder. As in every stage of her Shady Lane career, Donna relished a challenge, and created an environment that reflected her talents and strengths, embraced those of her fellow team members, and always engaged the interests and excitement of the children and their families.
In addition to creating a classroom that consistently made children and parents feel comfortable and challenged at the same time, Donna had a powerful influence over all of her colleagues at Shady Lane. Donna had an uncompromising approach to teaching and relationships, insisting on the best for all around her and holding expectations that were high but always developmentally appropriate, whether being applied to children or adults.
Beyond all of this, Donna was simply a wonderful person who was a joy to work with and a dedicated friend. While we will all feel the loss of our friend for a long time, the impact of the strength and talent Donna brought to Shady Lane for so many years will long outlive the grief we all feel each day that we miss her presence.
At the request of Donna's husband, Bill, family and friends have been making contributions to create a scholarship fund in Donna’s memory at Shady Lane. Through August 2010, about 50 individuals have donated a total of over $4,500 toward this fund. In an effort to keep this scholarship active as an ongoing piece of our scholarship program and a living memorial of Donna’s work, we will continue to actively seek donations directed to this fund. Individuals who would like to contribute can send donations by check, payable to Shady Lane, or donate online. Please indicate “Donna Chase Memorial” on your check.
Obituaries and Legacy Book:
The links below will take you to the obituaries published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review on May 12 and 13, 2010.
Pittsburgh Post Gazette Obituary
