Donna Sue Groves
Donna Sue Groves, the creator of the barn quilt trail movement and champion of Appalachian culture, passed away on November 13 at the age of 73 after a long illness.
A community organizer and arts enthusiast, Donna Sue is best known for having created the concept of barn quilt trails, a grassroots public art project. The “clothesline of quilts” started in 2001 in Adams County, Ohio, with neighbors agreeing to be part of a driving trail for which they would hang painted wood squares that resembled blocks in a quilt on their barns. Developed to promote regional tourism, support artisans, and preserve old barns, similar barn quilt trails can now be found in almost all 50 states and in parts of Canada. Thousands of individuals have created quilt squares for their home, business, or storage shed, outside of the coordinated trails simply because they love the colorful pieces of art.
Born on June 9, 1948, in Creed, West Virginia, to the late Warren Blaine Groves and Nina Maxine Green Groves, Donna Sue was a proud, sixth-generation Appalachian who never forgot her roots. Donna Sue graduated from Charleston High School and attended West Virginia University before moving to Xenia, Ohio with her parents.
For more than forty years, Donna Sue was devoted to helping Appalachian artists and underserved communities. As an elected Xenia City Commissioner, she helped rebuild the city after a devastating tornado in 1974. Her true passion for uplifting her community continued through her roles at the Community Development Corporations VISTA project (Volunteers in Service to America), Ohio’s Appalachian Arts Initiative, and the Ohio Arts Council.
She was the recipient of numerous awards for the many contributions she made to her community, including: the 2001 Friends of Southern State Community College; the 2004 Outstanding Philanthropist by the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio; the 2006 Sinclair College Wayne White - Unsung Hero Award; the 2010 Friend of the Arts by Ohio’s Appalachian Country; and the 2010 Ohio Governor’s Award for the Arts in Community Development and Participation. Donna Sue was given the Jenco Award from the Jenco Foundation Fund at the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio in 2004, and again in 2015 in recognition of her model service and leadership throughout the region.
However, it was her work with Planning Adams County’s Tomorrow (PACT), where Donna Sue truly left her mark through the barn quilt project. The idea was sparked by wanting to decorate the old tobacco barn on the property she shared with her mother Nina Maxine, a retired schoolteacher and celebrated quilter.
In 2008, at the age of 60, Donna Sue lost her job with the Ohio Arts Council in the nationwide recession and was diagnosed with breast cancer. A year later, filmmaker Julianne Donofrio met Donna Sue and documented her personal health struggles, and the impact of the barn quilt trails in the award-winning film Pieced Together. In 2012, Donna Sue and Suzi Parron co-authored the book Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement.
Donna Sue suffered from chronic health challenges and spent her final years in Hillsboro, OH. She was preceded in death by her parents, and brother Michael Blaine Groves. Surviving to cherish her memory is Sharon Paxton, her cousin; Christy Farnbauch, the “daughter of her heart”; Julianne Donofrio; dozens of friends and colleagues across the globe; and the hundreds of people who speak her name when they talk of their love for barn quilts. She was grateful for the excellent care provided in the final months of her life by Charleen Strunks and family, Kelly Teeters, and the loving staff of Hospice of Hope in Maysville, KY.
“It’s been a good life,” Donna Sue said recently. “I want to be remembered for how much I loved people, and how much joy there was in my life.”
Your gift to the Donna Sue Groves Arts & Culture Fund for Appalachian Ohio will continue her legacy of supporting the community she loved. Every dollar contributed will be matched 1:1, as long as matching funds are available. Thank you for your support.
Miss Groves will be cremated. There is no service at this time.
Lafferty Funeral Home Incorporated is serving the family.
Condolences
Barbara Webster - Nov 26, 2021
Donna Sue's legacy reaches all across the country and beyond. Her ability to recognize and seize the moment was remarkable and her tireless enthusiasm and cheering-on of those of us involved in creating a quilt trail in our own communities was laudable. She was a gifted visionary.
Baarbara Summers - Nov 26, 2021
Donna Sue was a brilliant star in our heavens. Her heart took in everything and everyone. She and Maxine championed quilts to their rightful place in our society. The trail is a constant reminder of our roots, our passion, and our talents. I am glad a myriad of honors rained down on her during her lifetime so she understood, in some small measure, what she meant to each of us and how, single-handedly, she had changed our world. I am grateful to have a spot in my heart where she will ever flourish.
Phil and Vicki Rhonemus - Nov 22, 2021
Dear Groves Families, Keeping all of you in our thoughts and prayers at this time. So appreciative of Donna and Maxine promoting Adams County and Appalachia over the years. We are the original Garden of Eden and proud of it, as well. Sincerely,
Suzanne Pollock - Nov 22, 2021
I'm so sorry to hear of Donna Sue's passing. It was such a pleasure for me to work with Donna Sue as we brought 20 quilt barns alive in Monroe County, Ohio. Her kindness, twinkling eyes and beautiful smile constantly expressed a "can do" attitude, so she left artistic beauty for us to enjoy.
Elaine and John T Lafferty - Nov 21, 2021
Meeting Donna Sue and her mother Maxine was one of life's happy experiences. We will miss both ladies, and will be grateful for all we learned about quilting in Appalachia!