Donna Ellen Perry of Watertown, New York, passed away peacefully on March 11, 2026, at Samaritan Keep Nursing Home. She was born on July 30, 1948, in Potsdam, New York, the daughter of Armond D. and Ellen J. (Rosenbarker) Perry.
Donna graduated from Edwards High School and went on to earn an associate degree from Jefferson Community College, a bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Brockport, a master’s degree in social work from the University of Buffalo, and her Licensed Master Social Work credential from Syracuse University. She devoted her career to helping others through mental health services at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Mercy Hospital, and the Children’s Home, and she also contributed to the Watertown Wounded Warrior Project at River Hospital in Alexandria Bay. In the early 1980s she became a master barber, working at The Sportsman Barbershop while pursuing her education. She took pride in the craft and continued barbering for forty years until her retirement in December 2024.
She found joy in reading and in the company of her family, friends, and her beloved cat, Teddy. Known affectionately as “Bubby,” she was a caring and devoted mother, grandmother, and friend.
Donna is survived by her daughter, Sabrina Cummins of Great Bend, New York; her son and daughter-in-law, Jonathon and Abbey Wood of Portland, Oregon; three grandchildren, Brent (Elizabeth) Cummins of Dexter, New York, Shannon (Aaron) Naklick of Adams, New York, and Haylee of Portland, Oregon; and three great-grandchildren, Aiden, Amelia, and Giovanni, with another on the way. She was predeceased by her parents and her brother, Thomas Perry.
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