Donna Kay Bolyard passed away Thursday evening, July 17, 2025. She was born September 5, 1947, in Parsons, Tucker County, a daughter of Kenneth and Dora Nine Bolyard and younger sister of Dennis.
She graduated from Morgantown High School in 1965 and attended West Virginia University.
Donna managed the Kenneth Bolyard Construction Company for 20 years until 1990. Her responsibilities included interior design, kitchen lighting recommendations, payroll, to construction materials. She also served as president of the WV State Home Builders’ Women’s Auxiliary and as executive secretary of the North Central West Virginia Homebuilders Association.
Donna married Ed Gerson in 1978 and managed Gerson Studio for 31 years until 2011. She excelled in fulfilling wedding clients’ expectations, including organizing large and small group portraits on-site. Donna was a skilled color printing technician, thus further enhancing Ed’s productivity as a professional photographer.
Her genuine enthusiasm and loving spirit truly were in a style that was all her own. Her baking skills and motivation resulted in dozens of pies annually for her family’s Woodland United Methodist Church’s bake sales. She volunteered with Woodland 10 times a year for 20 years at St. Luke’s Episcopalian Church’s soup kitchen, where she, not surprisingly, served 10 years on the soup kitchen’s board. Her father, Ken Bolyard, a World War II U.S. Navy veteran, built and installed St. Luke’s iconic red exterior doors shortly after WWII.
Donna volunteered to serve Christmas dinners and collected small items for families at the Rosenbaum House. She loved baking and in 2018 self-published “Generations – My Culinary Journey,” a 90-page cookbook featuring many of her four-generation family’s and her many friends’ recipes. However, her great-great-grandmother’s secret biscuit recipe remained a secret.
An Appalachian-inspired quilt-maker, Donna’s patterns were sewn with an average space of 3mm measured center to center between stitches. Her quilts required months to sew and were donated to family, friends, and once to a new young couple in town’s new baby.
At Tree of Life Congregation, she hosted the Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year’s Eve) gatherings for 25 years. During High Holy Days, her Break-the-Fast could feature up to six challahs, six pies, and 30 dozen cookies, and she hosted hundreds of Friday night gatherings, including any time we were “safe” from Covid. She especially loved to bake challah and gave a baking class in September 2022.
The MHS Class of 1965’s 60th reunion was July 11-13, 2025. The reunion committee wrote this: “This booklet is dedicated to Donna Bolyard-Gerson, Chairperson of the MHS Class of 1965 Reunion Committee for more than 40 years, beginning with the 20th Reunion in 1985. Through her tireless efforts over the years, the Committee has put on eight successful class reunions and several class birthday reunions.”
Donna, unable to attend, passed away the following Thursday evening, with her loving husband, Ed at her side, after a long illness.
Donna’s wish was that everyone just “get along” and she often quoted this famous line with fervent sincerity: “When all that’s left of me is love, give me away.”
Friends and family will be received in Hastings Funeral Home, 153 Spruce Street, Morgantown, from 1 until the time of the funeral service at 2 p.m. Tuesday, July 22, with Rabbi Joseph Hample officiating. The graveside committal service will take place at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 23, at Mt. Zion Methodist Cemetery in Marquess.
Condolences may be extended to the family at www.hastingsfuneralhome.com
