Donna Kay McKeown, 74, of Portland, OR, died Saturday, January 24, 2026, in Multnomah County after a long illness. Born March 28, 1952, in Yakima, WA, to Ellsworth H. McClain and Essie N. McClain (Roberts). Donna grew up and went to school in Selah, WA. She lived in Louisiana, Kentucky, various parts of Washington, where she met Fred McKeown, and moved to Portland, OR.

She worked for Pizza Hut in Louisiana and Washington.

She was heavily involved with Little League softball/baseball. In 1985, Donna and Fred started coaching their daughter and got hooked. Thus began her 30 year volunteering adventure. She wore many different hats during this time, one of which was scorekeeping. Not only did she do this for her local league and district, but also for the Little League Softball World Series at Alpenrose from the early 90s to 2012. This also included: Assistant District Administrator, LL President for N. Portland, and a coach. She received Volunteer of the Year for District 1 in 1992. Donna had a hand in reaching not only hundreds of children’s lives, but also other adults in the community with her enduring vigor. Retiring in 2015 from LL left her with more time to spend with her family, quilting, baking, and doing genealogy. She enjoyed digging into both her and Fred’s family lines. Her love of gardening showed with her beautiful flowers, especially her peonies and delicious tomatoes. She also volunteered for the election office in Portland for many years. As time went on, she fought COPD. She was a fighter to the end.

She is survived by her husband, Fred McKeown. grandson Kris McKeown of Portland, OR; daughters Sheila and son-in-law Brian of Warren, OR; and Kristi and son-in-law Ryan of Mulino, OR. Plus 5 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Also survived by her sister Patricia A Fischer (McClain) of Spokane Valley, WA, and many nieces and nephews.

Donna was preceded in death by her father, Ellsworth H. McClain; mother, Essie N. McClain; brother, Michael E. McClain; and sister, Betty J. Kraft (McClain).

A Celebration of Life is being planned in the near future.

A GoFundMe has been started for Fred. If you’d like to donate you can go to https://gofund.me/284e7354c.