Remembering Donna Schiefer, 2016 Carlston Award Honoree
Above & Beyond Teaching is saddened to share the passing of Donna Elaine Schiefer, a 2016 Carlston Outstanding Teachers of America honoree, who died on August 19, 2026, at the age of 53, following a fight with cancer. She was surrounded by her loving family at home.
Donna was a lifelong resident of Fresno and taught Biology for 28 years, most of that time at Central High School West. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology from Fresno State University and later her Master's Degree in Nutrition from Clayton College in Birmingham, Alabama. She served as advisor to her school's Interact Club, a community service organization that partners with the local Rotary Club to serve thousands of people in need each year.
In addition to her 2016 Carlston Award, Donna was named Central Unified's Teacher of the Year and received Rotary's Paul Harris Fellow and International Excellence in Service to Humanity awards. Her students remembered her long after graduation, and by all accounts, she remembered them right back.
Outside the classroom, Donna's passions included nature, travel, food, and family. She and her husband Chris visited more than 35 countries across 5 continents together. Closer to home, she loved card games with her parents, weekends at the coast, tending her succulents, and a good scoop of ice cream.
Donna is survived by her husband, Chris Schiefer; son, Michael Schiefer; foster daughter, Taya Elam; parents, Michael and Darla Anton; brother, Ryan Anton, and his wife, Christina; and many other family members and friends who will miss her deeply.
A celebration of Donna's life will be held on Saturday, August 29, 2026, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. in the gymnasium at Justin Garza High School, 4100 North Grantland Avenue, Fresno, California. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the North Fresno Rotary Foundation c/o Donna Schiefer Memorial Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 26417, Fresno, CA 93729.
We are grateful for Donna's decades of dedication to her students and community, and we extend our deepest condolences to her family and everyone who knew her.
