My thoughts:
I met Steve and Annette Donald in the summer 0f "79".They lived across the street from my husband and I (Ron).During that summer there were several couples living onthat corner block and we all had one thing in common, we were all newlyweds.
Ron and I came to know Steve and Annette very well that summer, we went on camping trips to Feather River Canyon, Collins Lake, Camp Far West, Lake Francis etc.
We went target practicing, fishing, and motorcycle riding. We partied ,we laughed and in general had a good time hanging out together.
Annette was a good wife and mother who always kept a clean house on top of being a working mother. Everyone she met was her friend.
I also considered Steve to be my friend, he was a good father and he was outgoing and his company was enjoyable. he just had serious issues keeping his jealousy in check.
They were the love of each others lives
Now they're both gone.
In one rash moment of insanity Steve took both their lives.
Though this happened Dec.26, 2006, I only found out about it yesterday and I felt as though I had been hit with a sucker punch. I just couldn't wrap my mind around what had happened.
I saw Annette's obituary in our local paper and it made no mention of her being survived by her husband Steve, that in itself was curious to me, so I called her mother who still lives in town. Her mother told me that Steve had killed her, and if that wasn't shock enough she told me that Steve had killed himself.
I later was told of the second obituary in our local paper, the one that belonged to Steve.
They had been together since Annette was 15 years old and at the time of her death she was 42, 27 years together and that wasn't enough to satisfy his mind that she was loyal and faithful to him alone.
As far back as I can remember Steve and Annette had a very passionate volitile relationship, they would fight everyday but at the end of the day they still loved each other.
Steve was insanely jealous of Annette and had been since the moment they had started dating. He just couldn't be convinced that his suspicions were unfounded and in the end his jealousy drove him into a rage from where he couldn't turn back.
Here we are in the 21st century and while great strides have been taken in laws against domestic violence it still amazes me that these kinds of things still happen.
In Annettes quest to reunite with her husband she paid the ultimate price, no women should ever have to go through what Annette went through and all the years that she endured the abuse, both physical and mental
Irish Rose Jan 2007PRESTON — Annette June Atkins Donald, 42, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2006, in Preston.She was born April 6, 1964, in Yuba City, Calif., the daughter of Tommy Atkins and Sandra Petrie.She loved to cook, especially Mexican food. She enjoyed riding Harley's and decorating for the holidays. She loved to baby-sit and play with her grandchildren. She enjoyed taking her grandchildren to dinner or for ice cream. She loved to make her yard look nice and she enjoyed having her hair done. She loved her children and life.She is survived by her daughter, Shannon (Ryan) Swainston of Preston; her son, Justin (Brittany) Donald of Logan; her mother, Sandra Chagnon of Yuba City; her grandmother, Marjorie Petrie of Yuba City; a sister, Debbie Atkins of Yuba City; and by four grandchildren.She was preceded in death by her grandfather, Phillip Petrie; her step-father, Dave Chagnon; her great-grandmother, Paula Best; and by her dog, Sinbad.Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 30, in the Preston First/Fifth/Eighth Ward Chapel, 213 S. Second East, Preston. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Webb Funeral Home, 109 E. Oneida, Preston, and from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the church. Interment will be in the Preston Cemetery.Preston murder-suicide
PRESTON — Neighbors of Steven and Annette Donald say they seemed a mostly happy, loving couple who enjoyed taking motorcycle rides in the summer and giving friends vegetables grown out of their home garden."I call them salt of the Earth people. They were really good neighbors," said King Smith, who for nearly 10 years lived next door to the Donalds. Every Christmas, Smith would try to outdo Donald's seasonal decorations, and the families exchanged gifts each year, Smith said."It was a big competition to see who had the most decorations out every year," Smith said. "I always lost." But the life the Donalds shared together in this southern Idaho community was also peppered with arguments and raised voices that sometimes carried into adjacent homes.Even so, Smith and Preston Mayor Neal Larson — who lived on the other side of the Donalds and called Steven a friend of his — said they weren't prepared for the violent outcome that played out Tuesday, when Steven fatally shot his 42-year-old wife at her 40 South 200 West apartment before turning the gun on himself. He was 45. "He told me he couldn't live without her," Larson said. "I think everybody is pretty shocked at what happened. It's pretty sobering."Donald would watch over Larson's home when the mayor traveled out of town, and he'd return the favor. "He's the best neighbor I think I ever had," Larson said.Though Steven could be an imposing figure — he weighed about 280 pounds and stood six feet tall — he loved playing in the backyard with his grandchildren and taking care of animals. "I've never seen anybody treat cats and dogs as good as he did," Larson said. Steven didn't have the heart to euthanize his Rottweiler, Sinbad, despite the dog's pronounced limp and advanced age.The Donalds were married for nearly 25 years, Smith said, and came to Preston from California. Annette originally hailed from Yuba City, Calif., and worked at the Pepperidge Farm plant in Richmond while Steven held various jobs through the years.She also loved cooking, taking her four grandchildren out for ice cream or dinner and yard work. Steven, a San Jose, Calif., native was active in the ABATE Motorcycle Club of Logan, where he was the organization's "Road King" and went by the nickname "Magilla.""He was a jack of all trades," Smith said. Most recently, Steven worked as a cabinet maker but also was a meat cutter and lumberjack.He was also proud of the several tattoos he sported — some were hand made — and took pride in Annette's work around the house."I've worked all my life. I've raised two great kids, I keep my yard nice, I decorate my house for Christmas," he told The Herald Journal's Cache magazine in a 2004 interview for a feature article on tattoos. "It offends me when my wife's friends come to our house and say, 'Wow! I didn't know you lived in such a nice house!' They think because I have tattoos and ride a bike and drink beer, I should live in a dump."Several of Annette's friends declined comment to The Herald Journal following Tuesday's slaying, saying they were too upset to talk about her. A group of women spent time cleaning out Annette's basement apartment Wednesday afternoon, but also declined to comment.The couple lived together at their 65 South 100 East home for most of their marriage, until Annette separated from Steven over the summer, Larson said.According to police reports, a protective order was filed Sept. 29 on her behalf, but it was dismissed just four days before Annette's death at her request.The pair was planning on spending the weekend together after returning from a trip to Jackson, Wyo.Following a September incident at Pepperidge Farm where Steven was taken into protective custody for threatening to kill Annette and then himself, Smith and Larson said the Donalds were hopeful that they'd work through their problems."She was so optimistic in hoping he would change and overcome some of the problems he had," Smith said.The pair separated in the late summer — a move that devastated Steve to the point where Larson said he worried about his safety."There's no doubt he was pretty distraught about things. In the back of my mind, I worried about him committing suicide."However, he said Steven told him he'd never harm his wife."He told me he would never do that. He must have just cracked at the moment," Larson said.Smith said he's still trying to come to terms with the tragedy, but didn't share Larson's surety that Annette would be OK."I worried for Annette," he said. "I never thought this would happen. I didn't ever think it would get to this point."While he said he holds some feelings of anger toward Steven, Smith said he's more upset that he couldn't assist his friends."It gnaws at you. It's hard not to get mad at Steven," he said. "I'm frustrated that he couldn't see past what he was doing and that we couldn't help."Neighbors called the Donalds free spirits who were frequently laughing, and Steven said in the 2004 Cache magazine interview that he wanted his next tattoo to carry a personal message."I'm going to get Jesus' hands praying, and underneath it will say, 'Only God will judge me.'John Michael Montgomery~The Little Girl
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Domestic Violence QuizDoes Your Partner:
Embarrass you with bad names and put-downs?Look at you or act in ways that scare you?Control what you do, who you see or talk to, or where you go?Stop you from seeing or talking to friends or family?Take your money or Social Security, make you ask for money, or refuse to give youmoney?Make all the decisions?Tell you you̢۪re a bad parent or threaten to take away or hurt your children?Act like the abuse is no big deal, it̢۪s your fault, or even deny doing it?Destroy your property or threaten to kill your pets?Intimidate you with guns, knives, or other weapons?Shove you, slap you or hit you?Force you to drop charges?Threaten to commit suicide?Threaten to kill you?If you checked even one, you may be in an abusive relationship. If you need more information, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233
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National Domestic Violence Hotline
[ www.ndvh.org ]
In addition to staffing the national hotline, this organization offers tools to determine if you're in an abusive relationship or if you're an abuser; tips on how to help a family member or a friend who may be a victim of domestic violence; information on domestic violence in the workplace; safety planning; and resources on teens and dating violence.
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
[ www.ncadv.org ]
Focus is on coalition building and support of community-based alternatives. Includes extensive and diverse links and information on the "Remember My Name" project.
Family Violence Prevention Fund
[ www.endabuse.org ]
Includes National Workplace Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Battered Immigrant Women's Rights Project, among other tool kits for community action. Focus is on public policy, advocacy and education.
National Network to End Domestic Violence
[ www.nnedv.org ]
Features Technology Safety Project focusing on internet and computer safety for those whose abusers may be monitoring computer activity and contacts. Also includes legislative and legal action centers.
National Resource Center on Domestic Violence
[ www.nrcdv.org ]
Provides technical assistance, training and information. Offers publications for community organizing and Domestic Violence Awareness Month event packets.