Donna Karvia was recognized in 2012 for her 50 years of dedication to the community. Karvia was given the Live United Volunteer Award. She died at her home in Chehalis on Monday, Jan. 16, 2017.
Saturday, Feb. 4, will be proclaimed as Donna Karvia Day in Lewis County through a resolution expected to be approved by Lewis County commissioners during their upcoming Monday meeting.
Karvia, who died earlier this month after a short battle with cancer, had been involved in philanthropy, community service and charity since the 1960s in Lewis County. She was named The Chronicle’s 2016 “Person of the Year” in early January before news of her declining health was known.
Karvia also served in the county’s district court and as the county clerk, which is an elected position she held for 15 years until her retirement in 1999.
A draft resolution from the county said “Donna’s public service throughout Lewis County — and even the state level as president of the Washington State Clerks Association — was second to none.”
Karvia spent time working with the Centralia College Foundation, the Philanthropic Educational Organization, Pope’s Kids Place, Drug Court, Human Response Network and more.
“Donna’s generous spirit, guidance and dedication to public service has created a legacy that will be remembered by many for generations,” the resolution read.
Karvia died Jan. 16. The Chronicle’s coverage of her death appeared in a story titled “‘A True Community Icon’: 2016 Person of the Year Donna Karvia Has Died.”
In the article, she was quoted as saying her mantra could in many ways be defined by one of her favorite quotes by Marian Wright Edelman, a children’s rights activist.
“Service is the rent we pay for being,” she said, quoting Edelman. “It is the very purpose of life and not something you do in your spare time.”
