Ethel Jean Donathan Harris

Ethel Jean Donathan Harris, 84 of Lynchburg, passed away peacefully on Thursday September 25, 2025.

She had a kind spirit and great sense of humor. A native of Reidsville, NC, she was a daughter of the late Jasper and Ida Hanks Donathan and the youngest of five children.

She grew up on a small tobacco farm before marrying and moving to Virginia. She was a dedicated wife and mother raising her children to adolescence before becoming a bus driver for Campbell County Schools for 20 years.

She enjoyed the outdoors, many family trips to Holden Beach, NC, planting flowers and growing tomatoes, feeding the birds, family dinners and watching the wildlife that visited her backyard. You would often find her on her porch or watching sports, as she was an avid UVA fan, especially men’s basketball.

Jean was preceded in death by her husband, William Harris; siblings Grover Donathan, Irene Rape, Posey Donathan and Clifton Donathan; sister-in-law Bonnie Hale; and Henry Grattan, considered as a son-in-law.

She is survived by daughters, Sandra Harris of Lynchburg and Sonja Decker and her husband Jason of Evington; sister-in-law Vicki Morgan of Elon, NC, lifelong friend Mae Glidewell of Mayodan, NC and many nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to BARCC (barccmeow.com) or The Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke (swvawildlifecenter.org).