Donelda Daub Sluyter Obituary (1942 - 2015)

Donelda "Doni" Daub Sluyter, 74, passed peacefully from this life on April 3, 2015, following a short hospital stay. Her beloved son Michael and a brother Peter were by her side and she was enveloped in the love of her other family members and close friends when she slipped away. Born in Calgary, Alberta, in Canada, Doni grew up Lethbridge and also in Alberta. Following graduation from high school, she ventured on her own to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to attend college, where she met and married her former husband Dr. Gary V. Sluyter. The couple moved to Austin; while living there, Doni became a naturalized citizen in 1969 and earned a B.A. degree in business administration in 1971. She later lived in Houston and moved to Corpus Christi in 1974, when her husband was named Superintendent of the Corpus Christi State School. Early in her career, Doni worked for the Penneco Oil Company, which had an office here in Corpus. A hard worker, Doni headed her own CPA practice for several years. She owned Bolero's, a women's boutique in the Town and Country Shopping Center, for about five years and for a part of that time, she operated a second shop in Rockport. She later worked at other CPA firms in the city. Most recently, she relocated her accounting business to her home and was enjoying much success with her solo practice. She was admired for being a strong woman and a trailblazer. Doni was honored by the YWCA in 1982 with one of its Y Women in Careers Awards for her career achievements, making her a member of its Hall of Fame. She later served as chair of the event on two separate occasions. Doni was extremely civic minded and had long-time involvement in a variety of organizations. She served on the board of the Corpus Christi Women's Shelter, was a past president of the Corpus Christi Branch of the YWCA and was chairing its finance committee. She was a past president of the local branch of the American Association of University Women and was chairing its Outreach Committee, which provided assistance and support to high school students. She was a founding board member and treasurer of the Tuloso-Midway ISD Education Foundation and had served in that capacity for 10 years. Her other community involvements further reflected her wide interests. As a lover of the arts, she served on the Corpus Christi Chamber Music Society Board. She was active with the Hericane Stampers, creating beautiful crafted items and pieces of art. Her love of beauty extended to plants, especially her roses. She spent hours gardening in her yard. She was an avid reader who belonged to the Corpus Christi Literary Reading Series and an AAUW book club. She also loved to travel. Doni was a generous woman, who contributed to numerous causes and was especially fond of animals. A charming woman, she loved gatherings to share wine and cheese or a good meal with friends, often in her home, where she was a wonderful hostess. She was one of the original members of the Goddesses, a group of seven women who originally came together for dinner in May of 2003 to celebrate the birthday of one of her closest friends. The group developed a special bond and continued to meet monthly for birthdays and non-birthday events until, over time, four of the original members moved away from the city. Doni is survived by her son Michael (Shalla) Sluyter and grandbaby Allison Faria of Austin; a sister Mary Stubbs and brother Daniel (Deborah) Daub, of Kalispell, Montana; a brother Peter (Kay) Daub of Hilo, Hawaii; a sister Michelle Low of Everett, Washington and brother Gary (Lisa) Daub of Lake Stevens, Washington. Her nieces and nephews include Jason Low, Joshua Stubbs, brothers Tony and Paul Daub, and Ryan Daub. A celebration of Doni's life will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 9, 2015, at the YWCA, 4601 Corona St.