James & Donna Brantly Memorial Fund

James and Donna Brantly were married August 25, 1953. They had been married over 54 years at the time of the car accident that claimed Jim's life and disabled Donna on Dec. 29, 2007, on Hwy 299 in Trinity County. They met in Long Beach, CA while Jim was on shore leave from the Navy during the Korean War and Donna was on a vacation from Arizona with her best friend. Two years of letter-writing later, they married, and raised two daughters, Cheryl and Susan. James Phillip Brantly was born January 16, 1932, in Lake Providence, LA. After leaving the U.S. Navy, he studied engineering, then worked for the US Border Patrol Agency for 25 years. James received citations from President Kennedy and Attorney General Robert Kennedy for his assistance during the Oxford riots when the University of Mississippi enrolled the first black student, James Meredith, and from President Johnson for bravery during the Watts riots. He also received the Commissioner's Meritorious Achievement Award for rescuing an injured woman. Jim was a member of the Murrieta United Methodist Church for 50 years and a Life Member of the VFW. He enjoyed duck hunting, fishing, and telling stories. Donna JoAnn Stevens was born in Salina, Kansas on March 11, 1933. Following in the footsteps of her accountant father, Donna studied business at Bethany College before marriage. She retired from the Murrieta United School District in 1990 after nearly 30 years as the Asst. Superintendent of Business Services after overseeing the district's first growth spurt from one K-8 school into six elementary, 3 middle schools and 1 high school. In addition to being the treasurer and auditor for the Murrieta United Method Church, she was active in the United Methodist Women and was the Community Leader for the local 4-H club for more than 5 years. Donna enjoyed writing for local newspapers, scrapbooking, and travel. She passed away May 16, 2022. This fund is for non-profit rural search and rescue organizations and first responders. (2022)

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