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Senior Voice of Citrus County - OCTOBER 2020 • 5
local government and Michael, Hannah, Emma,
happenings in the Pinellas Thomas and Samantha,
County beach towns, Jim “Senior Voice turned out to be who range in age from six
in circulation and sales. At a huge success because of to 31. She had five great-
the end of one year, recalled grandchildren.
Larry Fletcher, who was Donna’s passion,” said Jim.
the bureau chief for the St. After Donna’s death, Shelby
Petersburg section of the purchased a cassette player
Tribune, Donna was assigned a job as a reporter. mid-August, her strength and online so that she could
a story that showcased her determination didn’t waver. listen again to those tapes her
sense of humor. They settled in Lynnhaven, mother sent to family during
Fla., a suburb of Panama “We were devastated and Shelby’s childhood.
“Donna called a psychic to do City. Donna soon noticed that emotional,” said Jim. “Then,
a predictions story for the new the town didn’t have its own Donna looked at me and said, “I can hear her voice talking
year: ‘Hi, I’m Donna Vavala newspaper. So, she left the ‘well, we’re just going to have about things we were doing
from the Tampa Tribune. But News Herald and started one. to pull up our big-girl and and my grandparents’
you already knew that.’” big-boy britches and deal with responses,” she said.
She built the Lynnhaven
Donna’s love of adventure Ledger, a biweekly this.’ And that’s what we did – Accolades poured in from
continued. She took a hiatus publication, from scratch, on her terms. friends and former colleagues.
from work in 1998 and spent and grew the circulation to “She faced everything head- “Donna was fearless and
several months traveling 10,000 by the time she sold it on and did things many hilarious, took no nonsense,
around Europe on her own. in 2015. people wouldn’t dream and had a big heart,” said
“Rome was her favorite Donna and Jim retired to of doing,” he added. “She Nancy Crotti, who worked
because of the history,” said Spring Hill to be closer to her wanted to be a journalist and with Donna at the Delaware
Jim. “She wasn’t worried son, Rod, and grandchildren. she did it – even though she State News.
about traveling alone; she Soon after, Donna “got the didn’t have a degree. She Monica Rhor, Senior Writer
wasn’t afraid of anything.” itch to get back into the wanted to start a newspaper for the Houston Chronicle
and she did, with great
After 11 years with the Tampa newspaper business,” said success.” who also worked with Donna
Tribune, the Vavalas moved to Jim. The couple started Senior at the Delaware State News,
newspapers in Savannah, Ga., Voice in Hernando County Donna died at home on Sept. said, “She was so special, so
and then to Louisville, Ky. and a few years later, started 6. full of spirit.”
the Citrus County edition.
In 2003, said Jim, “Donna Both papers have grown to She was preceded in death Perhaps the best tribute
remembered she didn’t like circulations of more than by her son, Rod Morgan, and to Donna came from Phil
cold weather, so we started 20,000. granddaughter, Abigail. Along Willon, senior political writer
the job search in Florida with Jim and Shelby, she is for the Los Angeles Times,
again.” After working at the “Senior Voice turned out to survived and mourned by who worked with Donna
Palatka Daily News for three be a huge success because of her sons Gregg Morgan and at the Tampa Tribune. He
years, Jim was offered a Donna’s passion,” said Jim. Darren Morgan, grandchildren summed up the news of her
director’s job for the Panama Even when Donna’s terminal Ellie, Eliana, Raelyn, Avonea, passing with just one word:
City News Herald. Donna got cancer was diagnosed in Isaac, Elijah, Christopher, “DAMN!”
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