Donna Marie Tapp

   Donna Marie (Mathesius) Tapp, 52, of Wamego, Kansas, passed away on Monday, November 14, 2022, at her home. 

   Born March 22, 1970 in Jersey City, New Jersey, Donna was the daughter of Edwin and Annette (Balbo) Mathesius. She was raised in Hackettstown NJ, where she attended St Mary School and Hackettstown High School, where she was active in field hockey and cheerleading. She graduated from Caldwell College in 1992 with a BS in Business Management.

   She married her high school sweetheart Jeffrey Frank Tapp on May 8, 1993, in Washington Township, New Jersey.  

Donna was a homeschooling Mother for over 27 years. She was known in the early days of blogs and homeschool forums for her creative and inspirational writing. Particularly, her writing on “Elegant Simplicity” and “Catholic Family Life”.   As time went on, she met with many people from all walks of life around the world, and nurtured numerous close personal friendships. She loved to talk with and mentor many new mothers looking to homeschool, and she became a strong advocate for large Catholic families. She was a passionate daily communicant with a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother. She and her family were well known at The Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Hackettstown NJ and the Blue Army Shrine in Asbury NJ, where they were daily active participants until moving out west to Kansas. 

   Donna was a member of St. Bernard’s Catholic Church. 

   Survivors include her husband, Jeffrey; her mother, Annette Mathesius of Wamego; ten children, Rebecca, Katherine, Nicholas, Joseph Michael, Mary Rose, John Paul, Christina Marie, Peter James, Anna Marie and Elizabeth Marygrace. She is also survived by a brother, Joseph Mathesius (Melinda) of Hopatcong, N.J.; two sisters, Denise Swigart (Daniel) of Mifflin, PA,  Melissa Hughes (Thomas) of Fuquay-Varina, N. C.; and many loving, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

   Donna was preceded in death by her father, Edwin Mathesius, Jr.

   Visitation will be Monday evening from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Campanella & Stewart Funeral Home in Wamego, with a Rosary service at 7:00 PM.

    A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday morning November 22, 2022, at 10:30 AM at St. Bernard's Catholic Church in Wamego.

   Interment will follow at St. Bernard's Cemetery in Wamego. 

   Memorials may be made to Campanella & Stewart Funeral Home or to Jeffrey Tapp to help with funeral expenses, or left at P. O. Box 48, Wamego, KS 66547.

   Donations can be made to help with funeral expenses at https://www.givesendgo.com/DonnaMathesiusTappMemorial