Dona C. Mastin's Obituary
Dona C. Mastin of Beavercreek passed away peacefully on Monday, November 4, 2024, at Ohio's Hospice of Dayton.
Dona was a life-long learner, with education playing an outsized role. She received her BS in English from the University of Colorado, a Master's in Student Personnel Administration from Central Missouri State University, and her Master's in Library Science from the Catholic University of America in Washington DC – all while juggling two young children and being an Air Force wife.
Working as a reference librarian in the Greene County Public Library system for over 25 years, Dona dedicated 22 of those to service at the Winters Bellbrook Library. She was a certified bookworm, loved many genres, and led the Winters Book Discussion Group for nearly two decades. There was always a stack of books on her nightstand, and in more recent years, audiobooks were around the house and in the car.
An avid member of the Bellbrook Garden Club, she could be seen around town planting, working events, and making the world more beautiful with her artistic and natural way of grouping plants. At home, she was always in the yard, adding (always adding) to her collection, finding beautiful and well-curated plants to fill every inch of every bed and even adding more beds to accommodate the overflow.
Volunteering as a tour guide at the National Museum of the USAF, Dona was able to share her interests in aviation history and story-telling for over two decades. She loved the accounts of innovation, camaraderie, and sacrifice that accompanied each exhibit - often passed down by word of mouth. She remained in sync with new exhibits and made sure to let everyone know just how amazing the "behind the scenes" tours were.
Dona loved animals – from having a pet hedgehog while living in Afghanistan to the many cherished cats that would become companions throughout time. She supported The Tenth Life and, during every Christmas season, could be seen adorning her front door with their wreath and roping. Over the years, she became known among neighborhood strays as a place for shelter, food, and love.
She was an excellent cook and baker. Her legendary rum cakes and brown butter shortbreads were prized possessions of the lucky few, and her minestrone soup was comforting the night before Thanksgiving. She loved foods of all ethnicities and wasn't afraid to try and replicate them in her own kitchen. Her home-cooked meals and rich dinner table conversations will be sorely missed.
Growing up in an Army household, Dona was fortunate to live in a diverse set of locations – taking a little something from each of their unique cultures. Born at Ft Sill, OK, she grew up in Wilmington, NC; Tokyo, Japan; Clarksville, TN; Ft Leavenworth, KS; Cincinnati, OH; Kabul, Afghanistan; Alexandria, VA; and Colorado Springs, CO. After marriage and becoming part of an Air Force family, she called Whiteman AFB, MO; Westminster, CA; Montgomery, AL; Alexandria, VA; and lastly, Beavercreek, OH home.
Dona was preceded in death by her parents, Harriett and Donald Connolly; and her sister, Gaydie. She is survived by her husband of 52 years, David Mastin; son, Charles (Michelle) Mastin; daughter, Julia (Jeremy) Nelson; and six grandchildren, David, Nathan, and Stephen Mastin and Britton, Raegan and Keegan Nelson; and her sister, Gladys (Larry) Connolly; niece, Harriett (Troy) Mitchell; and grand-niece, Carlie Mitchell.
She will be greatly missed. We love you. Until we meet again.
A celebration of life gathering will be held from 5:30 – 7:30 PM on Tuesday, November 19, at Conner & Koch Funeral Home in Bellbrook. Condolences at www.connerandkoch.com.
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