Donna Behm (1956-2013) - Welcome to Donna Behm! We at the Smyth County Jam are very happy to see a new face and a talented one at that. Donna comes from Nashville, TN originally, but now lives in Abingdon, VA. She is a fiddler, playing on and off for about ten to fifteen years. At one time she lived for a number of years in Colorado. Donna is an Emergency Mental Health Counselor. She says years before she moved to Abingdon, her mother used to bring the children up here and she fell in love with the place. Donna likes the arts and crafts aura of Abingdon. Donna plays with the band Sugar Grass these days. You can see Sugar Grass almost every Thursday at the Abingdon Senior Center. She likes to fish as well as play the fiddle. Donna says she admires the music of Alison Krauss. Come back and play here Donna, any time you can.
In Memorandum
Donna Lee Behm ABINGDON, Va. Donna Lee Behm of Abingdon, Va., was carried by angels to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Sunday, August 11, 2013, after her courageous struggle with breast cancer. Born October 13, 1956 in Nashville, Tenn., Donna is predeceased by her father, Donald Franklin Behm. She is survived by her mother, Euline Hudspeth Behm of Franklin, Tenn.; her loving son, Dustin Kyle Reed (Sarah) of Seattle, Wash.; three loving sisters, Patricia Rowe (Harvey), Kathy Celauro (Lenny, deceased), Amy Selby (Duane); and nieces and nephews, Dr. Kate Celauro (Mark Schultz), Elizabeth Jernigan (Henry), and Andy Rowe (Traci). Donna received her high school degree in Bonners Ferry, Idaho and attended Peabody College of Vanderbilt University, studying special education and physical education. She graduated from Western Kentucky with a B.S. in Recreation and received her M.S. in Recreation from the University of Tennessee. Donna poured her servant's heart into her profession as a licensed counselor. She conceived and directed a Special Olympics camp for six years in conjunction with TVA. She also planned and directed TVA's outdoor recreational programs for special populations in a seven state region. She most recently was an emergency services specialist at the Highland Center for Behavioral Health Center in Abingdon. During her life, Donna lived in the mountain country of Idaho, Colorado, and lastly Virginia because she loved the outdoors, hiking, camping, snow skiing, and fishing. Donna loved her animals, including a horse, goats, ducks, dogs, and cats. She leaves behind her beloved Maltese babies, Boo and Dobie. Donna was an accomplished musician and although trained at Blair Academy of Music in Nashville on classical violin, her real love was blue grass and her violin became her fiddle. She facilitated the Abingdon senior citizen music jam and loved playing with her band of friends at the Abingdon Gospel and Old Time Music Festival and the Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion. A memorial service will be held 7 p.m. (ET), Friday, August 16, 2013, at the Main Street Chapel of Farris Funeral Service with the Rev. Roger Ball officiating. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 246, Abingdon, VA 24212, and extends its deepest appreciation to the caregivers at Alive Hospice, Nashville and Johnson Memorial Hospital in Abingdon. The family of Donna Lee Behm is being cared for by Farris Funeral Service and Crematory, 427 E. Main Street, Abingdon, VA 24210 (276-623-2700.
