Donna Marie Hare

Donna M. Hare, 72, of Downingtown passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 21, 2023 at Eagleview Landing where she had lived since the fall of 2021 with the twin health challenges of primary progressive aphasia and Alzheimer’s disease.  Early signs of these neurological disorders appeared in 2019 and she faced the situation with courage and determination.

She was born and raised in Aston Township in Delaware County.  She is predeceased by her parents, Arkley P. and Dorothy (nee Wysocki) Discascio and by her only sibling, her older brother Paul W. Discascio of Delaware County who passed away on October 8, 2012.  She is survived by friends Joan Lindstrom, Kate Currigan, and Anastasia Currigan along with a host of other beloved friends, neighbors, and colleagues.

Donna graduated from Notre Dame High School, Moylan, in 1968 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics with a focus on business, fashion merchandising, and leadership from Immaculata College in 1972.  She graduated cum laude and belonged to Kappa Omicron Phi honor society.

Right after graduation she joined Strawbridge and Clothier, the iconic Philadelphia area department store and enjoyed a very successful 24-year career in fashion merchandising management.  For almost 10 years she was an Intimate Apparel Buyer purchasing Sleepwear and Robes with regular trips to NYC Market Weeks.  She traveled overseas to London, India, and Hong Kong representing Strawbridge Buying Office A.M.C. developing product for the 26 Independent Department Stores around the country that belonged to the buying office.  She sought fabrics, designers, and new styles to make sure Strawbridge was always at the top of each fashion season.  It was a tremendous honor to represent those stores overseas.  She rose to Merchandise Manager and finally to the executive suite as Director of Merchandise Planning and Quick Response.  It was always her dream job!

When Strawbridge closed its doors in 1996 Donna moved to WAWA, another famous, local family-owned retail business until she retired in 2010.  WAWA was growing, opening new and larger stores, but they didn’t have a lot of fashion.

Thirty years ago, Donna joined a group of women who met weekly for dinner on Friday nights.  They called themselves The Roundtable and formed a tight knit, active social support group: movies, theatre, trips, birthday parties, Oscar parties…the ladies got around.  They became good friends, and during the pandemic continued to meet each Friday via Zoom.  Donna also loved animals, especially her much beloved cat Missy, and she loved her home in Eagleview, keeping it spotless since 1994.

She believed in community service: she was on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of Chester County in the nineties.  When she retired, she volunteered at Wings for Success using her fashion sense and retail experience to help women who needed clothes when they were looking for or starting a new job.  She loved to shop and could always sniff out a bargain!  She always had a smile even in her last days and she will be missed by all who knew her.

A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. Friday, June 2, 2023, at the James J. Terry Funeral Home, 736 E. Lancaster Avenue, Downingtown. Friends will be received from 11:00 to 11:30 a.m. until service time.

Interment will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, Planned Parenthood of Chester County, or to Wings for Success.

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