September 8, 1951 �" September 12, 2012
On October 13 at noon friends and admirers are invited to a celebration of Donna Lane's life and work at the large English Oak tree in the meadow on the south side of JFK Drive, just west of the rose garden, in Golden Gate Park. Donna served as a gardener in this park for over 10 years; she was also a poet and essayist. Over the years the park, and this tree in particular, became a fruitful source of poems and her connection with nature. She brought these and other works to poetry readings and had several pieces published.
Her commitment to life, her fears of death, and her relationships with women, family, and other experiences were documented in three books of beautiful, powerful poetry: Actual Slashes (1974), Where I Live (2005), and Faster Than the Speed of Hope (2010).
Donna was a breast cancer survivor who enjoyed 14 years of remission before the cancer returned in 2006. While she is no longer physically with us, her words will remain as a testimony to her great gifts as an artist. She is survived by many friends and her two sisters, Michelle and Lynette, and their families.