Donna Marie was born to Donald and Mary Alice Deforest in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on August 5, 1940. She was the oldest of five daughters. The family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, in 1953. Six years later, Donna married her high school sweetheart Robert Clifford with whom she shared five children and almost 67 years of marriage.
After graduating from high school in 1957, Donna pursued a nursing degree. But she had to leave the program, because many nursing schools still did not allow married women to attend. Once Robert returned from the Marine Corps, the family moved to Southern California and then to Seattle, Washington. When their youngest son started attending school, Donna returned to nursing, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Washington, in 1979. She was a full-time nurse, trained other nurses, and taught childbirth education classes. Donna held many positions in her long career: She was a nurse manager, associate director, and case manager and health program developer for insurance companies. Donna retired in 2010.
Donna was active in her parish. She volunteered with many groups, especially those focused on women’s health issues, homelessness, and education.
As Donna became acquainted with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace, she found inspiration in the work of Sister Anna Rourke, CSJP, with Cursillo. She worked with Sisters Ann Crawley, CSJP, and Maureen Boggins, CSJP, in 2010 at Hopital Sacre Coeur in Haiti, providing nursing assistance and support. Donna became an Associate of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace in 2014 and made her lasting covenant in 2024. At her lasting covenant ceremony, she shared that “Living out the CSJP charism of peace has been an extraordinary experience. The community sent me to Calais, France for a month as a registered nurse to meet and work with Mid-Eastern refugees. That was a transformative experience.”
Donna Marie Clifford died on November 17, 2025. She is survived by two sisters, her husband Robert, five children, ten grandchildren, and four great grandchildren.