Donna Diane (Speegle) Norcini

Donna Diane (Speegle) Norcini passed peacefully on October 2, 2026

Donna had a motto, and it tells you most of what you need to know about her: “It’s not the life I ordered, but it’s the life I got.” Then she went ahead and lived it anyway. No complaining to the waiter. No sending it back to the kitchen. It was her silent strength. She never announced it; you just noticed it, usually after the fact, usually with a little awe and she left you with a smile on your face. Donna had that habit of asking people how they were. She cared about the answer; people knew it.

Donna was very determined. The kind of person who knew how to get from point a to point b. She was the Queen of the Bus, Trolley and Train routes. She was unstoppable. In her younger days she even packed herself and her son Steven up in her Toyota Corona, and headed to Washington State to see what possibilities were there. After a while, she decided it wasn’t for her and she packed up and drove back.

Donna had a way with words long before she had a motto. She put herself through college and got a degree in journalism and advertising and worked for General Instruments, the kind of work where you learn to say a lot in very few lines. Later years found her working in a laundromat; half attendant and half social worker, caring for the people that society let fall through the cracks. Though she found her real calling as a mom, her greatest pride was her son, Steven. She had raised him on her own under some of the most difficult of circumstances. And cats could likewise find no better home than with Donna; she adorned them with human names: Ralph, Bob, Patty and Claude.

If you lived at Majestic Oaks, you knew Donna. Not “knew of” her. Knew her. She made friends with everyone there, which in any community is either a gift or a full-time job; Donna treated it like both. She was involved in every event from socials to Bingo. Earlier years found her living in the Frankford section of Philadelphia.

Donna is survived by her son, Steven and her brothers, Dave (Marge) Speegle and Randolph Speegle. Also many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. She was the daughter of Retta Speegle.

Donna always said “Timing is Everything”

The time to celebrate 72 great years is Friday, October 9, from 10 to 11 a.m. at Sweeney Funeral Home, 337 Bridgeboro Street, Riverside where there will be an 11 a.m. service. Donna will be laid to rest at Odd Fellows Cemetery, Burlington, NJ