Over eight years, Donna Shell proved to be an essential part Minor League Baseball in Elizabethton.
The Elizabethton Twins, an affiliate of the Minnesota Twins organization, took a moment to remember Twins house mother, who recently passed away from her bout with cancer. From 2008-16, Donna and her husband, Dempsey, housed between 50 to 70 players, primarily players from out of the country.
“Donna was an amazing person,” said Mike Mains, current Elizabethton Twins General Manager who worked alongside Donna over the years. “She cared about the players and made sure the guys were taken care of when they arrived in the city. There have been a ton of players that have come through the system, all across the world, and they have been impacted by Donna. She and her husband, Dempsey, gave them a home and were an incredible asset for us. We’ll miss her so much.”
Kelly Kitchens, with the Elizabethton Parks and Recreation Department, worked with Donna during the seasons.
“Donna was an absolutely fantastic lady,” she said. “The ballpark won’t ever be the same without her. I’ve seen a couple of the players make a tribute to her Facebook page and that really shows the impression she left on these kids who called the Shells’ their home for the summer.”
Affectionately known as “dos mama”, Kitchens added players were beyond appreciative of the support and love that came from the family.
Carlos Avila and Engelb Vielma, players within the Minnesota organization who were impacted by Donna, were some of the many that posted their condolences online.
Baseball was a passion of the New York native, even before moving to just a block away from Joe O’Brien Field. In the provided obituary from Tetrick Funeral Home, which was typed by Donna at an earlier time, she stated there would be no public viewing, funeral or burial services.
“I hope to be remembered for housing 52 baseball players for the Elizabethton Twins from 2008 through 2015 and working my profession as a physical therapist for 33 years,” a portion of the obituary read.
In the obituary, Donna added that individuals wanting to make a donation could do so by either sending flowers to a lonely resident at a nursing home or providing a financial contribution that could impact the animal shelter. A special thank you was also extended by the family to Mountain States Hospice, especially to Ann Snodgrass, for the “love and care shown to Donna throughout her illness.”
It was the loving attitude that Donna showed the Twins will miss the most, Mains said. Sometime during the 2017 season, he added team will honor her at Joe O’Brien Field.
“She went above and beyond for her boys,” Mains said. “We want to make sure her memory lives on and the hope is to do that this season.”