Donna L. Dague

It is hard writing an obituary for someone who did not want one. But, sometimes it is necessary, because those people may not have realized how special they were. Donna L. Dague passed away peacefully on 12/31/2021. She was a HUGE character in a world where increasingly characters are not welcomed. She spoke her mind (good or bad) in a world where more and more that gets you in trouble. She sometimes (ok always) lacked a filter. She was the OG of yentas. She would tell you how it was, and if you didn't like it, she would then tell you how it would be, where to go, how to get there and when to leave. She would say "you get what you need a lot more quickly by being direct, if people don't like that, tough."

She was predeceased by her husband Ed Dague. And for everyone who knew or watched dad on TV over the years and ever said "boy, he seems like a nice guy," he was that way because mom had his back and protected him. She took care of everything from his suits and ties to his schedule.

Donna loved Ed, and in a way he was her hero. They met in college at RPI and Russell Sage. They were married 51 years. So imagine seeing your partner and hero slowly waste away to Alzheimer's over the years. It tore her apart, it was brutal, it sapped her spirit and will. But, despite the pain and anguish of seeing dad lose himself to dementia she went to see him two times a day every…single …day…for over two years. A woman who hated driving in the snow, found her way from Saratoga to Colonie no matter what. She made sure he was clean, safe, fed, and looked after. She made sure he looked good, hair combed and that he had he on clean button down shirts and khakis. She'd say "Ed, I don't care if you're here, I don't care if you are sick, you'll always dress well as long as I'm around."

Her strength, her 'tell it like it is,' and her backbone protected dad when he needed it most. The staff may have feared Donna, she may have carped, complained and annoyed and probably left people saying nasty things about her….but she didn't care because you can bet that Ed was taken care of, which is all that mattered to her, no matter how many feathers she had to ruffle. She also took care of dad's last dachshund, Katey, after he left home for good, like it was her final mission for dad.

Mom was fond of a particular old joke: A woman dies. The new rabbi at the temple didn't know her but had to eugologize her. So he asked his congregants for nice things to say about her. No one had anything nice to say. The rabbi, at a loss, asked and asked and asked. Nothing. Finally after weeks of asking he found one old man who said he could stand on the woman's behalf and say something nice about her.

The day of the eulogy arrived and the rabbi did his prayers and then introduced the old man as someone who would say nice words about the woman. The old man stood, hobbled slowly to the front of the congregation, took the microphone, cleared his throat, looked out at the congregants and said "well, her sister was much, much worse than her."

In the end, mom went out the same way she lived: on her own damned terms! We love ya ma…you were one of a kind…give 'em hell and say hi to dad for us, and if he's not wearing his button down shirt and khakis…you know what to do. CHD/RDD
Services will be Private.