Donna Joanne Dart

Donna Joanne Dart, 77, of Robinson, Illinois, died August 28, 2026, at Good Samaritan Hospital, Vincennes, Indiana.

Donna was born in Robinson and spent her childhood years in Birds and Flat Rock, attending Flat Rock School. She attended Robinson High School and graduated with the Class of 1967. She worked as a server at the Sugar Bowl diner in Robinson as a teenager. That same year, she married Laird Byrl Dart and moved to the Dart family farm north of Oblong, later known as Dogwood Creek Farm. They had three children, and she contributed to the farm’s success and her family’s comfort by gardening, maintaining the home, and even operating farm equipment. During harvest, her children would sit on a small stool in the corner of the cab of the combine she operated.

While on the farm, she worked for a time at the Country Kitchen restaurant located on Howard Street in Robinson. She also worked as an administrative assistant for Leaf (Hershey) with their telemarketing operation on South Jackson Street. Donna and Laird purchased the Doc Griffey home next to Oblong Elementary School, and she oversaw its renovation into The Welcome Inn, a bed-and-breakfast which she operated from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. The inn hosted numerous guests, weddings, and special parties through these years.

Donna earned her associate's degree from Lincoln Trail College in 1996, and, following the dissolution of her marriage that same year, relocated to Terre Haute, Indiana, to enroll at Indiana State University, where she fulfilled a lifelong goal of completing her bachelor's degree in interior design in 2001. She also lived in Riley and Indianapolis, Indiana, and Olney, Illinois, before returning home to Robinson. While in Olney, she worked at Ivy’s Cottage florist.

Music was the means through which Donna experienced life. Drawn to classical, sacred, and traditional hymns, she was gifted a mellifluous soprano voice. She began singing at funerals and weddings as a teenager in Robinson. A capable keyboardist, for many years, she played piano and organ—as well as sang—in services at First Christian Church of Oblong where she was a member. She became part of a trio called “The Joy Bells” that sang for area churches. She also played the flute, performing special music at church as well as joining the LTC orchestra. She sang in the LTC choir throughout her life, as well as many church choirs in the various places she lived. A lifelong patron of the arts, she found joy in attending evening symphony concerts, musicals, or operas.

Donna enjoyed making things beautiful and making beautiful things. She meticulously cared for landscaping and houseplants, and she carefully selected and situated arts and crafts in her home. She appreciated well-made fabric and well-designed furniture. She was a prolific knitter and quilter, joining quilting circles at First Christian Church in Oblong and, more recently, at Highland Baptist Church in Robinson. She crocheted and quilted countless baby blankets for friends, family, and strangers.

She frequently hosted gatherings and parties for family and friends. She enjoyed several friendships that lasted well over fifty years. She delighted in her grandchildren, Eddie and Amanda. After school, she would often host them for tea time. She cared for them anytime she was needed, enjoyed doing crafts or baking with them, and often traveled with the whole family on vacation. Every Easter, she would hide eggs for her children and grandchildren, filling them with handwritten limericks that served as clues to locate the next egg in a treasure hunt to a final prize. She was a believer that events are more enjoyable when proper etiquette and decorum are observed.

Donna held an abiding faith in Jesus Christ. She read the complete Bible more than a dozen times, selecting a new version to read each time. She also expressed her faith through volunteering with a number of charities, including Lydia’s Closet in Oblong as well as many church events and organizations. Following the death of her son, Loren, she often contacted mothers she learned had recently lost children to give notes of comfort and peace.

Donna was preceded in death by her parents, Lloyd Ellsworth and Martha Ellen (Tohill) Wampler, and a son, Loren Bren Dart. She is survived by a son, Lesley Brian (Kandle) Dart of rural Oblong; a daughter, Melanie Kay Dart of Robinson; and grandchildren, Edison and Amanda Armijos of Robinson. She is also survived by a sister, Joyce (John) Griffin of rural Willow Hill, and brothers Harry David (Patricia) Wampler of Columbus, Indiana, Tom (Sherry) Wampler of Flat Rock, Steve (Kay) Wampler of Houston, Texas, and Carl (Kathy Jo) Wampler of Robinson.

A time of visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 3rd, at the First Christian Church of Oblong. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, September 4th, at the church, with her nephew, Pastor Ken Burgard, officiating. Burial will follow in Wilkin Cemetery, Prairie Grove Baptist Church, Licking Township.

Memorials may be made to the "Oblong Christian Children’s Home" with envelopes available at the church. The Goodwine Funeral Home in Robinson is assisting the family at this time.