‘A True Community Icon’: 2016 Person of the Year Donna Karvia Has Died

Editor's Note: Donna Karvia died at her home in Chehalis Monday morning surrounded by family after a lifetime of service to the community and a short battle with cancer. She is survived by her husband John and three sons, Mike, Jack and Patrick. Her family appreciates all the condolences from those Donna impacted through her volunteering and public service, but the family is asking for privacy at this time. Services will be announced at a later date. 

"Our community feels smaller knowing she's no longer with us," the Rev. Alta Smith said upon hearing the news of Karvia's death. 

Look for a story in Tuesday's edition of The Chronicle. In the meantime, here's our story from earlier this month, when Karvia was chosen as the 2016 Person of the Year by The Chronicle. The story was originally published Jan. 5. 

It’s not that most people don’t want to volunteer their efforts toward a good cause. 

In many cases, they’ve never been asked. 

That’s one of the many lessons Chehalis resident Donna Karvia has learned in her six decades of throwing her time, abilities and attention behind dozens of charitable causes, community movements and nonprofit missions in the Twin Cities and beyond. 

Karvia has in more cases than not chosen to say “yes” when asked to rise to a specific occasion. 

It’s an outlook on charity, philanthropy and community service that began in the 1960s when, as a young employee at the Yard Birds Shopping Center, she agreed to join a workplace effort to support the Heart Foundation. 

The same perspective drove her in her professional life, from her time as a humble district court staffer to multiple terms as the elected clerk for Lewis County courts from 1984 to 1999, when she retired from the fulltime grind but dedicated herself anew to her community. 

Today, Karvia is as much a force for good as she’s ever been. 

She serves as a board member for the Human Response Network, working with her colleagues and the executive director to serve women and children fleeing domestic violence. She’s a proud Soroptimist and member of Sertoma International who takes great care in all that she does, whether it’s arranging a talent show for area youths or assisting in the growth of the Youth Advocacy Center.  

Her mantra can in many ways be defined by one of her favorite quotes by children’s rights activist Marian Wright Edelman.

“Service is the rent we pay for being,” Karvia quoted Edelman in a summary of her experiences requested by The Chronicle. “It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time.”

Karvia’s spare time has long been spent on advancing a number of purposes, from a role in the creation of a network of community health centers to a valued resource for decision-makers in need of guidance or assistance. 

Karvia counts United Way of Lewis County Executive Director Debbie Campbell among her treasured friendships, and the feelings are mutual, just as they are for many others she’s touched. 

“Donna Karvia has been an active community leader for years,” Campbell said. “Not only does Donna exude warmth and charm, but she is very committed to her community, operates quietly with pride and gets things done. Donna is a true community icon. She is personable, with a sharp wit, a gentle heart and a mischievous smile. Donna is my go-to gal for anything Lewis County. Donna, over the years, has established a network of people who know, love and respect her, so when you need to find out something, just call Donna and she will hook you up with the right person.”

Campbell learned that following the devastating floods of December 2007 when the United Way was called upon to lead fundraising efforts amid the recovery. 

“Donna was the first person I called when I knew United Way of Lewis County needed to put together a call center to handle all of the calls coming in regarding flood recovery assistance,” Campbell said, “and with Donna’s gentle, kind and knowledgeable expertise, she led a team of volunteers as they handled the hundreds of calls that all needed attention.”

Karvia has made her purpose around answering the call for volunteers each time it rings. 

The Chronicle is proud to present Donna Karvia as its 2016 Person of the Year in recognition of a life that has produced incalculable good for those of others. 

Coming to Lewis County 

Donna Karvia was born in Eckley, Colorado, a town within Yuma County with a population of around 250 people. 

Her arrival in Lewis County came after previous stops with her family in Baker City and La Grande, Oregon. Her father settled on Winlock in the course of searching for an environment where Karvia’s mother, who suffered from asthma, felt comfortable and relatively healthy.

The South Lewis County town fit that description, and that’s where Karvia would eventually graduate from high school. 

Plans to enroll at Centralia College and begin working were derailed by a blind date with a man named John Karvia. Before long, the two were married and had moved to Pullman where John attended school and Donna worked for the WSU Extension. 

“John said he majored in science and I envisioned a lab coat but found instead a uniform since it was police science and he was on the Pullman Police Department,” Karvia recalled. 

The first two of three sons were born there in Eastern Washington. Mike and Jack were joined by Patrick after the Karvias packed up and moved back to Lewis County. John was hired by the Chehalis Police Department, where he would eventually retire after 32 years, along with about 10 years as a bailiff in Lewis County Superior Court. 

As her husband lived out his career in law enforcement, Karvia found her own calling and profession, all while raising their children and enjoying the responsibilities that came with that beloved duty. 

The boys, raised in a home the couple still occupies just a block from W.F. West, found joy in vacations at the beach, camping at Mount St. Helens, Boy Scouts and activities such as baseball, bowling, football, wrestling and music. 

They had frequent company, whether it was friends from school helping them raid the refrigerator on a lunch break or one of 30 international exchange students the Karvias have hosted over the past several decades. 

“(It was) a great experience and a chance to show our nation is more than what they see on television,” Karvia said of the exchange students. 

Her volunteering began at Yard Birds. She joined another resident who would become active in his community, Jerry Owens, in promoting the Heart Fund as a workplace function. 

“We’d talk to people, have fun with them, and convince them they could contribute,” she recalled, noting some of the work was done from within a signature Yard Birds birdcage for promotional effect. 

“The value was you knew your money went to a good purpose. You feed on that … It just grows.”

In 1969, her professional life took a turn through her involvement as parent in youth athletics. A county’s clerk’s child was on the same baseball team, and she asked Karvia if she would like to work for the office. 

The Reluctant County Clerk 

Even today, Karvia doesn’t take much joy in discussing her accomplishments and contributions. 

It’s a humble reluctance that was present when, beginning in 1984, she became the elected county clerk for Lewis County through an appointment after 15 years of carrying out the duties of a district court clerk and bookkeeper.

Politicians must talk about their accomplishments, and by that time, Karvia was already riding the reputation of a woman who worked hard to find meaningful solutions for anyone who came into the clerk’s office. 

That can be a tall order in a workplace tasked with documenting trips through the criminal justice system for all residents who must go down a sometimes contentious and uncomfortable legal road. 

Running for public office wasn’t something she even considered in her early days as a bookkeeper in district court. 

“I absolutely never thought about running for an office,” she said. “I was happy where I was at.”

After 15 years, though, she had a conversation with the county clerk, Margaret Donaldson, who was having eyesight issues that were hampering her ability to focus on the job. Donaldson wanted Karvia to become clerk if the opportunity presented itself. 

By that time, Karvia had risen from the role of a bookkeeper in district court to the chief deputy clerk in superior court. The promotion had been made, in part, following the addition of a second superior court judgeship in 1976. 

Reluctantly, Karvia agreed to Donaldson’s request that she seek the office if it were to become open. She said she thought her predecessor would likely remain in place despite the health concerns.

“I was stuck with that promise I made,” she said with a grin. 

The bragging involved with pursuing a new term every four years made her uncomfortable. 

As she talks about her years as the elected clerk, though, it’s clear self-promotion didn’t drive her, but rather an understanding that each citizen represented an opportunity for the government to succeed or fail in assisting them through the process. 

“The policy was ‘no one ever leaves with nothing,’” she said, adding that public forums and debates, even though she was always running unopposed, had value for the citizens she represented.  

“It was a great chance to meet with the public and talk about how important government is to our daily lives … People take it for granted,” she said. 

Her tenure as county clerk coincided with advancements in technology as she held the office until 1999. 

Washington was the first state in the nation to put an entire court level — superior courts, specifically — on a single database, and Lewis County was a pilot project in the effort. Karvia was a leader in those early days when a bookkeeping process she had once administered within leatherbound books was now being transferred to computers.

All the while, she developed insights that would later inform her desire to volunteer in the community. 

She saw children worked through the juvenile justice system who, based on their upbringings, had little opportunity to avoid trouble. She saw individuals with mental illnesses who lacked the facilities or medication to make reasonable decisions, and they found themselves in a cycle of imprisonment. She saw addicts who, through a little help, she came to believe could become productive members of society. 

Through it all, she relied on the talents and understanding of her staff, along with the other arms of the criminal justice system, to provide acceptable resolutions to each issue her office was presented with. 

“None of the dreams I had could have been accomplished without the support of my accomplished, dedicated staff and supportive chief deputies,” Karvia insists. “It was not easy, and when I met on a project or attended a conference, that time had to be made up in the evenings and on weekends. I was fortunate my husband was so supportive and didn’t object to the work I brought home, or our personal funds I spent. I was surrounded by others who believed we could make a difference: the sheriff, police departments, prosecutors, our local attorneys and many others.”

When Karvia retired in 1999, she became a travel agent before being thrust into a new direction of community service. 

Her legacy in public office has followed her, much to her surprise. She still hears from residents impacted by her work as the county clerk. There were the big contributions, such as her time as the president of the Washington State Clerks Association and the Washington Association of County Officials, involvement in the crafting of legislation for statewide jail industries and her role in a criminal history improvement project involving the State Patrol and the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office.

The most memorable marks, though, are echoed through those who relied on the everyday services of the county clerk’s office. 

“They say ‘you helped me,’ or ‘you supported my child.’ It never occurred to me that people would ever remember,” she said. 

Lessons Learned, Opportunities Offered 

Life since her time in public office has been marked by charitable contributions and community involvement for Karvia. 

It began in earnest when Dr. Isaac Pope requested her assistance as a grant administrator for a three-year, six-county project through the University of Washington to document services for children with special needs. 

With that effort complete, another began. 

A committee was formed to develop a plan to bring community health services to Lewis County beyond the offerings of Providence Centralia Hospital to assist members of the area with low or limited incomes.  

That pursuit has been one of great success, with the Valley View Health Center offering facilities and services at an expanded rate throughout the county even today. 

Karvia found other ways to occupy her time and connections as well. 

She served on the Centralia College Foundation for 20 years.

“We’re blessed to have our college here,” she said. 

Her “labors of love” include the Youth Advocacy Center and the Human Response Network. 

“We have an exciting goal of increased emergency shelter, advocacy and administration space to accommodate our expanded services,” Karvia said of HRN. 

She represented Soroptimists at a joint conference with American Association of University Women in China. The event was focused on the status of women. She presented on Washington’s domestic violence awareness legislation and practices.

She’s been a member of Soroptimists International for 42 years. 

For 20 years, she and her husband have welcomed overnight guests taking part in the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic. 

Karvia was chairwoman of the Lewis County committee to celebrate the state’s centennial. 

Indeed, the volume of her efforts is difficult to project due to the sheer quantity of it all. 

As she grows older, her thoughts often turn to a new question. What comes next for Lewis County? In her mind, it’s a new generation of community leaders and volunteers who will shape the future of the county in ways similar to her own contributions. 

“Let’s be thinking about who will be coming up next,” she said. 

Not Done Yet 

Karvia still has what she considers to be unfinished business. Most of it involves her work with nonprofits and service organizations, but other areas are related to preserving history and gains. 

The original Lewis County flag, for instance, is preserved within the Lewis County Treasurer’s Office in part because of help from former treasurer Rose Bowman, she said. Karvia would like to see if go on permanent display. 

Beyond the county’s history, though, she’s deeply interested in its future. 

She sees promising developments in the ways in which the community is responding to those with mental illness, addiction and other potential setbacks to success. 

Drug Court and the Mental Health Alternative are two specific examples, but there are many others, she’s quick to note. 

Karvia is looking forward to seeing Lewis County continue to work toward achieving its full potential, which in her mind means protecting and serving those who need assistance in reaching theirs. 

She looks forward to continuing to contribute, even if her advancing years occasionally reduce the requests for assistance she can personally say “yes” to. 

Her outlook is formed by her experiences, and those who know her well are fast to confirm she lives by the rules she’s adopted through her many interactions with others. 

“To protect our orderly society we must have rules,” she said. “The rules of our faith, nation, state, county and city. In addition, I believe we need what I call the ‘rules of oughtness’ — we ought to say please, thank you, good job and you make a difference.”

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Eric Schwartz is the editor of The Chronicle. He can be reached at 360-807-8224 or eschwartz@chronline.com.