June 24, 1928 – May 6, 2023
With great sadness, we announce Donna Jane Briggs Lukken (94) passed away peacefully with family by her side on May 6, 2023.
Donna was born June 24, 1928, in Tulsa, OK, to Charles Roy Briggs and Leta Sawtelle Briggs. She attended Sidney Lanier Elementary, Woodrow Wilson Jr. High, and Will Rogers High School. Following her 1946 high school graduation, Donna attended the Kansas City Art Institute on a Greeting Card Scholarship. As the reigning Miss Oklahoma, Donna was named the fourth runner-up in the 1948 Miss America pageant. In 1951, she graduated from the University of Tulsa with a BA in Painting and a Minor in English. Donna was listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities, served as president of her Chi Omega sorority, and worked part-time as a fashion model.
Following graduation, Donna was employed as a commercial artist and also as an account executive with Baron-Walters and Sullivan Advertising Agency. At KOTV, CBS Channel 6, in Tulsa, Donna was a continuity writer and an actor in commercials. A prolific creator in ink, acrylic, oil, watercolor, charcoal, crayon, and pencil, her art was exhibited at Philbrook Art Museum, Friends University in Wichita, KS, and in private collection events in Kansas and Oklahoma.
Donna married Albert Lukken in 1953, moved to Wichita, KS, and had three children: Stan, Dana, and Nancy. While a homemaker, Donna served as newsletter editor for school, civic, and political organizations; created political ads in newspapers and campaign brochures; volunteered at the Institute of Logopedics, Wichita Art Museum, Oklahoma Arts Center, and the Phillips Collection; served as a Cub Scout leader; was a member of Geologist Wives; served as president of the Painting of the Month Club; and wrote skits that she set to Broadway show tunes.
The family moved to Edmond in 1970. Donna became a member of OKC Writers and attended UCO for classes in creative writing in 1984. At UCO she won 12 prizes for short stories and poetry; wrote a novel; and was published in UCO’s literary magazine, the New Plains Review. In volunteer capacities, she was a member of the Edmond YMCA Board of Directors; manager of the Medical Library at Edmond Memorial Hospital; voter registrar; poll judge; cook for Mobile Meals; and she was active in political campaigns. Her favorite things were her family, traveling, needlework, gardening, singing in the choir, computer research, art, music, and politics.
Donna will be remembered for her extraordinary talents, fierce beliefs, love for her family, triumph over unimaginable tragedy, and keeping her sassy attitude and sharp wit to the end. She was truly one of a kind and the world is now a less interesting place. She is survived by children Stan Lukken (wife Nancy) of Dallas, TX, Nancy Lukken Gifford (husband Ron) of Edmond, OK, and grandchildren Hunter, Hannah, Hayley Lukken, and Blake Gifford. She was preceded in death by her husband Albert Edward Lukken, daughter Dana Marie Lukken, sister Norma Jean Briggs Churchwell, and her parents.
A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, June 24, 2023, at Matthews Funeral Home Chapel.
We will be live streaming this service in an effort to accommodate those people that wish to attend but are not able to. To watch the service CLICK HERE to go to our YouTube page. Click on ‘Videos’, then ‘Live Streams’.
Donna, was my mother’s (Gloria Evans Lang) best friend and partner in crime! What a wonderful, talented lady. I am very privileged to have know her. She brought great joy to all her friends and family and was an extremely talented artist. I have to add what a great sense of humor she had and could crack me up at a drop of a hat!!