Birth

Donna was born on the 4th floor of St. Mary’s Hospital in Port Arthur to Cecil Lee and Dorothy Aline Harris Hicks on Wednesday, May 31, 1961. Her dad made a point to tell everyone how headstrong she was. He said the nurse kept wrapping her up tightly and immediately she would kick her foot out of the covers. Her sister, Brenda, made sure that she came home from the hospital wearing a rosebud patterned gown and bonnet and made her crib up with a rosebud sheet.

Early Life

Donna was the fifth child of six born to her mother Dorothy. She started kindergarten in 1966 the same year her sister, Brenda, started college and they had their pre-school physicals together. Both got their smallpox vaccinations. Unfortunately, Donna scratched hers and then rubbed her eye and broke out with smallpox around and in her eye. After a couple dreadful weeks of putting drops in her eye which required at least 3 adults holding her down she began to improve. Her daddy said to the ophthalmologist, “I thought she was going to lose the eye.” The doctor said, “I thought we were going to lose the girl.” We all felt so fortunate that God had spared her.

Donna was physically tough and emotionally sensitive. If you corrected her she would tear up and say, “You broke my little heart.” Also, she would say, “Nobody loves me.” Fortunately for Donna, She has a little brother named John.  John would console her and say “It’s ok Donna, I love you.”  On the other hand, she could be tough when she needed to be, especially when it came to her little brother, John. As well as loving, John was a bit mischievous.  Like the time Donna built a tree swing with an old tire and a rope. While Donna was enjoying her swing, John climbed the tree and cut the rope.  Donna was less than happy with this act of clownery.  She chased John into the house and into the bathroom with her sister June coming to John’s rescue.  Donna, being as tough as she is, found a Ball-peen hammer and attempted to bust into the room.  Fortunately for John, June stretched between doors to hold off Donna while John was curled up in the corner in fear.

Teen Years

Donna was a natural athlete.  She was strong fast and competitive.  She loved sports and was good at them.  Where ever she went she was running, and fast.  It was embarrassing at times for some of the boys in the neighborhood because she was always picked first for kickball.

When she was 15 she moved to Bridgeton, Missouri, in the St. Louis area. There she lived with Brenda and her family, Kevin and Dwight (husband and son). While she was there Brenda gave birth to Erin, Donna’s niece. Despite the fact that she had previously attended a small private school and was scared of attending such a large school with so many course choices and so many students, Donna excelled academically and was one of the better basketball players. She loved sledding and playing in the snow.

After a year in Missouri, she moved back home to Port Arthur.  It was shortly after this that her dad passed away.  So with her mother and younger brother at home with her, Donna became a pillar of strength for them. 

Marriage and Family

After her Dad passed away, Donna married Jim Dwyer and gave birth to a bright and beautiful daughter named Jamie. Although Donna and Jim’s marriage did not last, she and Jamie became inseparable.  Dorothy, Donna’s mother, developed a friendship with Sam Lewis, a very nice man.  He introduced Donna’s family to the Ozment’s, a large and rowdy family of very good people. One Ozment son named Kessler managed to catch Donna’s eye. Kessler is a good man with a good heart.  After much courting and along with the influence of her younger brother John, Donna married Kessler. Together they started a family and had another bright and beautiful daughter named Lacey.  While they struggled a bit, both Donna and Kessler went to earn a process degree in technology.  They both became corporate employees at local sites of Exxon Mobil and Huntsman.  Both Donna and Kessler made the local paper for their achievements in education and career. 

Cancer

Donna and Kessler became the best of friends and enjoyed a life of fun and family.  Together, they became a pillar of strength and comfort to both the Hicks and Ozment family.  Both Donna and Kessler enjoyed traveling and activities like boating, fishing, jet skis and camping.  They took numerous vacations to Disney World, Las Vegas, and many other destinations.  In 2011, while caring for her Mother, Dorothy, who had had a severe stroke, Donna was diagnosed with Breast cancer.

Donna began treatment for her cancer at M.D. Anderson hospital in Houston, Texas.  She started with chemotherapy to which she had a deadly allergic reaction and “flat-lined” for 5-6 minutes.  The doctors frantically worked and brought her back to life. Her type of allergic reaction, being the first on record, changed the way M.D. Anderson applies chemotherapy.  Donna won her battle with breast cancer, but only for a while.  Her cancer had spread and the doctors found a “spot” on her spine.  Once again Donna beat the cancer as the doctors were able to put it in remission.

Once in remission she stayed active and enjoyed time with her family and most especially her granddaughters.  She became active in events to support finding a cure for cancer. However cancer dealt her a final blow by spreading to her liver.  Although she fought hard, in the end, she lost the battle with cancer.

She leaves to cherish her memory her husband, Kessler Ozment; her children, Jamie Lynn Dwyer Crenshaw of Nederland and Lacey Christine Ozment of League City; her grandchildren, Whitney Ozment and Brookelynn Crenshaw; her sisters, Brenda Hicks Chilcoat and her husband, Kevin, of Quinlan and June Hicks Messina and her husband, Charley, Jr., of Nederland; her brothers, Larry Hicks and his wife, Jane, of Lumberton and John Hicks of Beaumont; and many nieces and nephews.

She is missed by many yet will be remembered by all.  We love you Donna.

A gathering of Mrs. Ozment’s family and friends will be from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Thursday, July 23, 2015, at Calvary Baptist Church, 3650 Dowlen Road, Beaumont. Her funeral service will be at 3:00 p.m., Friday, July 24, 2015, at Calvary Baptist Church, under the direction of Broussard’s, 1605 North Major Drive, Beaumont, with interment to follow at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Beaumont.