Donna "Jone" Atkins Rose, 58, passed away after a courageous battle against cancer on Monday, July 13, 2026, at Moore Regional Hospital with her husband, Tommy, holding her hand.  She was born on August 18, 1967, in Fayetteville to the late Reverend Ramon Atkins, Jr and Donna Dickerson Atkins.  She was preceded in death by her father and her older brother, Ramon Atkins III.

Jone and Tommy had a missed connection during the 1988 football season at NC State University.  Jone was helping the marching band as an active member of Mu Beta Psi, Alpha Chapter while Tommy drove a bus for the band.  Jone and Tommy finally connected in December 1988, and they managed to meet both families during Christmas and New Year holidays.  After a brief engagement, starting in April 1989, they married on August 13, 1989, in Sanford, NC.  After Tommy graduated from US Navy Officer Candidate School in November 1990, they began their travels around the world, beginning in Port Hueneme, CA for US Navy Civil Engineer Corps school and then arriving at Naval Station Mayport, FL for duty.  Tommy left the Navy in 1993 and began a 16-year career in the automotive service industry in exotic local locations like Raleigh, Garner, Cary, Charlotte, Kannapolis, and ended up in Sanford in 1999.  In 2009, Tommy returned to engineering and was hired with the US Army Corps of Engineers at Fort Bragg where travels to real exotic places occurred.  In 2012, Tommy, Jone and five of their children departed NC for Incirlik Air Base, Türkiye for 2 ½ years.  Upon return to the states in 2014, they lived in Warner-Robins, Georgia for a year and in 2015, they all moved back to North Carolina to be on the family "farm" in Broadway where Tommy once again to work at Fort Bragg.  Adventures continued with a 3-year tour in Japan, living near Yokosuka, Japan from 2019 to 2022.  They returned to NC in April 2022 for Tommy once again work at Fort Bragg.

Her six children, Rea, Graham, Stuart, Mitchell, McDaniel (now called Thanatos) and Phillip were loved in each of their own way.  Jone homeschooled all 6 at various stages of their education with all of them graduating from Rose Bud Ranch Academy.  We have continued to support their opportunities to include the US Navy, Education/Teaching, Theater, Restaurants, Cruise Lines, Retail, Welding, Computers and other ventures.

As the children graduated and began their adult lives, Jone began a study in literature, history, Latin, Anglo-Saxon and much more with the House of Humane Letters in 2017 with very dear friends Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks.  She was a founding member of the HHL Literary Fellowship, where upon graduation, she served as hospitality director.  She twice appeared on the Literary Life Podcast, where she shared her joy and encouragement with others, and she was a beloved and active member of this community.

Jone is survived by her Husband of almost 37 years and her six wonderful children.  She is also survived by her mother, Donna Atkins, and her brother Randy (Shannon) Atkins, all of Broadway.  She is also survived by many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Services will first be held at St. Raphael Orthodox Church, 1990 Stewart St. Fuquay-Varina, NC on Tuesday July 21, 2026, with visitation starting at 5:30 pm and the funeral service beginning at 6:30 pm.  A second visitation followed by the burial and a Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday July 25, 2026, at Cool Springs Church, 2741 Cool Springs Rd., Broadway, NC beginning at 11:00 am.