Donna Sue Eastman

Donna Sue (Kelley) Eastman, lifelong resident of Goreville, Ill., died at home at 8:55 a.m. Saturday, March 29, 2025. She was 82.

With her creative energy, independent spirit, and “people first” approach to life, Donna was a true original. She was a talented artist, a gardener with the biggest green thumb we’ve ever seen, and a witty writer of a hometown newspaper column.

She was respected for her dedication to family, friends, and community, and as an advocate for Southern Illinois, working for two U.S. senators. She was optimistic and practical, gracious and tough, hardworking and fun-loving.

Donna had an elegance that could command a room – she was a long-stemmed, bright, beautiful, bloom of a person.

Donna was born Oct. 9, 1942, to William D. and Juanita (Parks) Kelley in Goreville, Ill. She attended Goreville schools and in 1959, as a high school junior, was named prom queen. Her prom escort was a handsome high school senior named Barry. She married James Barry Eastman on Oct. 13, 1962.

Donna loved hosting and socializing – her home was as open as her heart. She brought people together to celebrate, to laugh over stories, to feast at her table. Donna’s sense of humor and wise counsel made her a trusted confidant. With her you were safe to laugh until you cried or cry until you laughed. She was quick with a warm hug and with an extra scoop of dessert – fresh-sliced homegrown peaches with cake.

Donna and Barry owned Eastman’s Orchard in Goreville, known for its landmark big red “APPLES” barn. The work was demanding, the customers were plenty, and feelings could flare, so Donna came up with an ironclad rule: “No divorce during peach season.” She and Barry ran the farm and were married more than 60 years. When asked what she was proudest of in life, she said their children, Teresa, Melanie, and Matthew.

Donna was civic-minded and involved in state and local politics. She served as president of the board for Goreville Community Schools (1979 – 1982) and was on the board of trustees of the Lake of Egypt Water District (1985 – 1990). She was a lifelong member of the Goreville Baptist Church and the Goreville Women’s Club.

She practiced honesty and integrity in her 22-year career (1986 – 2008) as a congressional staffer serving constituents of U.S. Senators Paul Simon and Dick Durbin. Her car became a rolling depository of newspapers, notes, and soft-drink cans as she chauffeured Sen. Simon to backroad town halls.

Donna loved art. Her portraiture and still life paintings have won awards, including Best of Show. She had one-woman art shows and cheered on fellow artists as she joined them to exhibit work across the region. Her canvas included her vibrant backyard flower garden and water feature, which won a Southern Illinoisan newspaper “Best on the Block” contest for outstanding landscaping.

Donna made the world more beautiful. “My tendency is to do too much,” she said, and we are grateful for that. Life could never be long enough for her to be with all the people she loved, to create all that she hoped to create… to give as much as she hoped to give.

Donna is survived by her husband, Barry; daughter, Teresa and Jack Weitlauf of Bowling Green, Ky., daughter, Melanie and Richard Barker of Ava, Ill.; son, Matthew and Sarah Eastman of Carterville, Ill.; grandchildren, Lauren (Weitlauf) Guess, Aaron Weitlauf, James Barker, Seth Barker, Barry K. Eastman, Ruby Eastman; and three great-grandchildren, Hayes and Margot Guess, and Paul Barker. She was preceded in death by her mother and father, and her brother, Ronald G. Kelley.

She also is survived by her sister, Pamela Kelley of Shawnee, Kans.; her sisters-in-law, Mary Wright, Betty Eastman, and Elizabeth McRoy; as well as many beloved aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be Saturday, April 5, at 11:00 a.m. at Blue Funeral Home in Goreville, with the Rev. Steve Seaford officiating. Visitation is on Friday, April 4, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home in Goreville. Following the service, interment will be in Cana Cemetery, Goreville.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to Hospice of Southern Illinois, Inc. at 204 North Halfway Rd, Marion, IL 62959-5058 or to Heather Treat Memorial at www.heathertreatmemorial.org