Donna "DeeDee" Mooney

Mrs. Donna "DeeDee" Churchill Mooney left this world peacefully at the age of 61 surrounded by a plethora of family and friends. A Funeral Service honoring Donna's life will be held at 11:00 AM, Thursday, July 18, 2024 in the sanctuary of Anchor Baptist Church with Bro. Gerald Shook officiating. Family and friends will gather for a visitation on Wednesday evening July 17, 2024, at Anchor Baptist Church from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM. Burial will be in Anchor Cemetery.

Donna was born on May 16, 1963, in Oxford, MS, to Erma Goodman and the late Wayne Churchill. Donna grew up in Oxford, Mississippi, and she graduated from Oxford High School in 1981. After graduation, Donna found her calling in teaching and caring for others. She worked at the North Mississippi Regional Center for many years which inspired her to obtain her Bachelor's Degree in Special Education. Following this accomplishment, Donna was a Special Education teacher at Lafayette County School District where she made an impact on not only her students, but also her coworkers, with whom she found friendships that lasted her lifetime. These friendships ultimately led to the formation of a group she called "The Magnolias ("Mags" for short)". Following her career at Lafayette Schools, Donna found joy in caring for children in her home, referring to their time there as "Camp DD."

Donna married Rickey Mooney in 1992, and it was no secret to anyone who knew her how much she loved him (and he her). Donna loved her family with a fierceness that was challenged by none. The entirety of her life was centered around her family, and she was her happiest when she was surrounded by those she loved (or when she was watching the Dallas Cowboys). In recent years, Donna loved spending her days with her beloved Golden Retriever, Lady, and tending to her chickens. This, of course, came second to her time spent with her great-niece, Mary Ellis, who could brighten her day instantly. Donna will, undoubtedly, be remembered for her exuberant personality, witty sense of humor, strength, compassion, and incomparable gift of making others feel the love she so generously offered.

In her last days, Donna was surrounded by those she loved most. She spoke often of how thankful she was to have gained more time following her liver transplant in July of 2021, and she did not hesitate to tell her family how much she loved them every chance she got. In addition to her father, she was preceded in death by her step-father, Richard Goodman, her aunt, Virginia Metzger, her maternal grandparents, Leonard and Naomi Tubbs, and her paternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Churchill.

Donna is survived by her husband, Rickey Mooney; mother, Erma Goodman of Oxford, MS; her siblings Nita Churchill Knight and Gary Churchill of Oxford, MS; three children, Anthony Montgomery of Oxford, MS, Sarah Vance and her husband, Jeremy, of Water Valley, MS, and Taylor Mooney and his wife, Mary Micah, of Oxford, MS; one niece, Katie Knight of Oxford, MS; two grandchildren, Jackson and Harper Vance of Water Valley, MS; one great-niece, Mary Ellis Knight, of Oxford, MS; stepsisters, Kathy Howell (Bernie) and Lynn Moderow (Don); and her friend group, The Magnolias, which includes Ann Thomas, Jennifer Hewlett, Sandra Smith, and Tiffany Babb.