Donna Jean Beachy

Donna Jean (Cordray) Beachy was a lifelong central Ohio resident best remembered, with her husband Alvin, as the couple behind Al and Donna's Restaurant and later Al and Donna's Dari-Bar in West Jefferson, Ohio. Those family businesses were familiar gathering spots for decades, and her public recognition came from that quiet community presence, from decades of church service at Big Darby Baptist Church, and from the large family she raised and stayed devoted to until the end of her long life.

She was born Donna Jean Cordray on September 14, 1930, in Pickaway County, Ohio, the daughter of Thomas Levi Cordray and Cora Gertrude (Reid) Cordray. She met Alvin E. Beachy while both attended Canaan High School, and they married on February 3, 1948. Their marriage lasted 67 years, until Alvin's death in 2015. Early on they farmed, then in the early 1960s stepped into the restaurant business in West Jefferson. Their children grew up helping in the kitchens and counters, making the venture a true family endeavor. They sold the businesses in the early 1980s and later worked at Der Dutchman restaurants in Plain City and Sarasota before retiring from full-time work.

Faith shaped Donna's days as much as hospitality did. At Big Darby Baptist Church she took part in American Baptist Women and Girls Guild ministries, served as a deaconess, taught Sunday school, helped organize church events and mission projects, and later led a Bible study. She also started a Grandmother's Circle of Prayer, which she led for many years. She regularly read her Bible and devotionals and was open about sharing her faith. In her later years at Heritage Senior Living she encouraged residents and staff, formed new friendships, and made her apartment a warm gathering place that staff reportedly used as a showcase for prospective residents.

Away from work and church she enjoyed traveling, taking drives across central Ohio with Alvin (sometimes getting lost and ending up at McDonald's with a burger and a Diet Coke), crocheting and knitting, collecting teapots, following the Ohio State Buckeyes, and talking sports and current events with her grandchildren. Family members remembered how quick she was to say how proud she was of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Donna Jean Beachy died on September 16, 2026, in Plain City, Ohio, at the age of 96. No cause of death was made public. She was preceded in death by her husband Alvin, her parents, and her siblings Carl (Esther) Cordray, Helen (Willard) Martin, Juanita (Bill) Hicks, Pryde (Kenneth) Harrison, Martha (Matthew) Holland, and Mary Cathryn. She is survived by five children, Becky (Dave Martin) Pearson, Bill (Barbara) Beachy, Pam Orr, Randy (Jane) Beachy, and Lisa (Dennis) Dunlap; 15 grandchildren; and 17 great-grandchildren. The family thanked caregivers at Heritage Senior Living and the Care360 Hospice team.

A celebration of her life was set for Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. at Big Darby Baptist Church, with visitation Tuesday, September 22, from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Ferguson Funeral Home, 202 East Main Street, Plain City. Memorial contributions were suggested for Big Darby Baptist Church. Arrangements were under the care of Ferguson Funeral Home. Her family summed up her life simply: she loved Jesus, she loved Alvin, and she loved her family.