Born Donna Margaret Patton in Winnipeg on July 26, 1938, she occupied a prominent position on the Manitoba golf scene through the 1950s before moving west to Vancouver and continuing her golfing success.
As a junior, she teamed with Jo-Ann Percy as the Manitoba team at the national championships in 1955, winning low net honours. She won the provincial junior championship in 1956 and 1958. She won the Manitoba amateur honours in 1957, 1958 and 1959. She was the City and District champion in four straight years, 1956 through 1959. She was also named University of Manitoba Athlete of the Year in 1956 and 1957 for excelling in golf and basketball.
She began golfing at Assiniboine Golf Club 1951-54, was a member of St. Charles Country Club 1954-58 and Niakwa Country Club 1959-61. Moving west, she belonged to Marine Drive Golf Club 1961 to 1996 and Sunshine Coast Golf and Country Club 1992 to present.
As Donna Collett from 1958 to 1973 and as Donna Thompson from 1975, she continued to have success in the west, playing on the British Columbia amateur team in 1965 and on BC senior teams eight times from 1990 through 2004, winning national team low gross honours in 2004. She won the BC senior championship in 1996, 1997 and 2004 and claimed the Vancouver District 2 championship in 1990, 1994 and 1996.
She won the club championship at Marine Drive eight times from 1967 through 1983 and the club championship at Sunshine Coast 12 times from 1995 through 2011. She won the Sunshine Coast Sea Cavalcade 11 times and Sunshine Coast Ladies Challenge Low Net Tournaments once as well as the gross prize four times.
She was also active in golf administration in BC, serving on the match and house committees and as ladies president at Marine Drive; on the board of trustees of the BC Sports Hall of Fame and BC Golf House and Museum; Ladies’ rules chair for Vancouver District 2; BC Ladies’ Rules Chair for 2 years; and Board Member, Ladies’ Captain, Ladies’ Rules chair, Ladies’ Handicap Chair and on the Ladies’ Challenge Committee for 13 years at Sunshine Coast.
On the national scene she was ranked 10th senior lady in 1990 and fourth senior lady in 1991.