Donna Pokriva

Donna Elizabeth Pokriva, age 66 of Tuscaloosa, passed away Wednesday, February 3, 2021 surrounded by her family. Services will be Friday, February 19, 2021 at 11:00 a.m. at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. The body will lie in state one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will follow in the church columbarium. Visit the Holy Spirit Catholic Church Tuscaloosa AL Facebook page at 11:00 a.m. Friday, February 19, 2021 to view the service live. She was preceded in death by her father, Don Hornyak and mother, Rita Hornyak; brothers, Mark Hornyak and Eddie Hornyak; Helen and Mary Merranko, Sue Gabriel, and Elizabeth Hornyak. Mrs. Pokriva is survived by her husband, Lee Pokriva; sons, Douglas Michael Pokriva and Lee Christopher Pokriva; half-sister, Margie Destefano; brothers, Stephen Hornyak, John Hornyak, and David Hornyak; grandchildren (whom she cherished more than life itself), Stella Grey Pokriva and Grant William Pokriva; and her daughter-in-law (whom she always considered her daughter), Rachel Gordon Pokriva. Donna Pokriva was born on October 24th, 1954 to Donald and Rita Hornyak in Braddocck, PA. The only sister to five brothers, she grew up tough, a fighter, a protector, always defending her brothers from their rough neighborhood instead of them defending her. A fighter, the strongest, toughest woman we've ever known, but not a mean or selfish bone in her body; she was so full of love and light and cared more about others than she did herself. She touched so many hearts, so many lives, did so much good in this world with the short time she was given. Donna's selfless, caring nature inspired her to become a Registered Nurse, a career in which she worked most of her adult life. As a nurse, she treated her patients with love, compassion, dignity, and respect. Service to others, light and love, caring for her fellow man more than she cared for herself - these are the attributes that defined her best. In 1994, Donna was diagnosed with progressive Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and eventually forced to retire from nursing due to the disease's debilitating effects on her body. But never forget, Donna was a fighter, and armed with her unwavering faith in God and the love of her family, she fought that thieving disease for twenty-six years; and she never lost her faith, never lost her light, not once in all that time. Ultimately, MS made her body highly vulnerable to COVID-19, which eventually manifested as pneumonia in her lungs. She was strong, she was tough, she was a fighter to the very end. "I want the world to know that I left this world a better place than when I found it and I hope I did. I loved life and MS could not destroy that love of life that I had." - Donna E. Pokriva We will miss you, we will never forget you, and we will hold you dearly in our hearts forever and always, until we meet again. https://www.facebook.com/hsctuscaloosa