Donna Dees: Founder of LifePath Legacy LLC

Donna Dees is the founder of LifePath Legacy LLC, where she has spent more than a decade helping families with pre-need funeral, cremation, and cemetery planning. She calls herself a “Director of Peace of Mind.” After losing her job in 2005 during the economic recession, she moved into entrepreneurship, and later found the work she describes as a ministry. As she prepares to celebrate her 65th birthday, her message is that dreams do not expire and purpose has no age limit.

Who Is Donna Dees?

Donna Dees is the founder of LifePath Legacy LLC, based in Lithonia, Georgia. For more than a decade she has helped families prepare for one of life’s most difficult realities through pre-need funeral, cremation, and cemetery planning.

While many shy away from conversations about end-of-life planning, Donna embraces them with compassion, wisdom, and grace. She often refers to herself as a “Director of Peace of Mind,” and after spending just a few moments with her, it’s easy to understand why.

“My mission is simple. To help families make informed decisions today that provide peace of mind for tomorrow.”

For Donna, this work is about far more than planning. It’s about serving others during some of life’s most vulnerable moments and ensuring loved ones can focus on healing instead of financial or emotional stress.

What began as a career has become a ministry.

Donna Dees at a Glance


Business	Founder, LifePath Legacy LLC
Self-described role	Director of Peace of Mind
Services	Pre-need funeral, cremation, and cemetery planning
Also offers	Educational seminars, workshops, speaking engagements, personalized preplanning
Second business	A travel business helping families create lasting memories
Years in preplanning	More than eleven
Based in	Lithonia, Georgia
Married	Nearly forty years
Personal theme	“Okay”
Milestone	Preparing to celebrate her 65th birthday

A Journey She Never Planned

Entrepreneurship wasn’t always part of Donna’s vision.

After losing her job in 2005, life seemed to unravel all at once. The economic recession made finding employment difficult, and as she faced personal family challenges, she found herself questioning what came next.

Instead of returning to a traditional corporate career, Donna made a courageous decision.

“If I could build someone else’s dream, I could build my own.”

She explored several entrepreneurial ventures, including personal shopping, virtual assistance, and jewelry design, each one teaching valuable lessons about business, purpose, and perseverance.

Those experiences eventually led her to an opportunity that would completely transform her life: helping families preplan funeral arrangements.

More than eleven years later, she knows she is exactly where she was meant to be.

Related reading: When to Pivot and When to Push Through and Go Ahead and Jump Start a New Business This Year

Finding Purpose Through Pain

Donna’s greatest transformation didn’t come through success. It came through unimaginable loss.

Within a short period, she lost her job, experienced the tragic deaths of her sister and brother-in-law in a motorcycle accident, navigated difficult legal matters, and later lost her father following complications from surgery.

Those seasons tested every part of her.

“There were days I didn’t navigate through it. I simply laid on the floor and waited for my husband to come home.”

But even in grief, purpose found her.

She began volunteering, giving herself somewhere to go and someone to serve. Helping others slowly became part of her own healing process.

Rather than allowing tragedy to define her story, Donna allowed it to deepen her compassion. Today, that compassion is evident in every family she serves.

The Strength Behind the Success

Like many entrepreneurs, Donna has experienced rejection, disappointment, and criticism along the way.

She remembers believing everyone would immediately understand the value of planning ahead. Instead, she encountered unanswered calls, closed doors, skepticism, and even discouragement from people closest to her.

Still, she refused to quit.

The freedom to control her own time, pursue meaningful work, and build a life aligned with her values became stronger than the fear of failure.

She also learned one of entrepreneurship’s greatest truths: success often requires sacrifices no one else sees. Late nights. Missed celebrations. Long hours. Unanswered questions.

Yet she has never regretted making short-term sacrifices for long-term purpose.

The Woman Beyond the Business

While Donna is passionate about serving families, there is much more to her than her professional title.

She proudly identifies first as a child of God. She is also a wife of nearly forty years, a daughter, sister, aunt, great-aunt, community servant, nonprofit leader, church volunteer, and lifelong learner.

She loves elegant dresses, beautiful shoes, and fine dining just as much as she enjoys fishing, monster truck shows, camouflage pants, and Timberland boots.

She’s an avid reader who can spend hours in a bookstore, a passionate cook always experimenting with new recipes, and an enthusiastic Atlanta Falcons fan, even if it means enduring a little friendly rivalry with her husband, a devoted New Orleans Saints supporter.

These many layers make Donna refreshingly authentic, a woman equally comfortable leading a seminar, serving her community, or cheering from the football stands.

Protecting Peace with Purpose

One of Donna’s greatest personal victories has been learning the importance of boundaries.

For years she tried to make everyone happy, often placing others’ needs before her own. Eventually, she realized that protecting her peace wasn’t selfish. It was necessary.

Learning to say “no” became an act of self-respect.

She also came to understand that grief and depression are real and deserve care, attention, and compassion.

Today, her approach to self-care is beautifully simple. She listens. To her body. To her spirit. To God’s direction.

Her personal theme over the last two years has been one powerful word: Okay.

She has learned when to fight, when to pause, and when to simply trust God’s timing.

“There may not be perfect balance in life, but there is rhythm.”

A Legacy of Faith, Hope, and Love

Donna hopes every woman she encounters walks away believing it is never too late to pursue purpose.

She understands that meaningful work doesn’t always look glamorous. Some people told her she “sold death.”

Her response has never changed.

“No. I offer peace of mind.”

That perspective captures everything about who Donna is.

She wants women to know that if they are serving others, using their gifts, making a difference, and creating financial freedom while doing work they love, they have already found success.

Her legacy is built on unwavering faith, steadfast hope, and boundless love. It is proof that purpose often appears on roads we never expected to travel.

A Woman2Watch at Every Age

As Donna prepares to celebrate her 65th birthday, she refuses to accept society’s limitations about aging.

Being named a Woman2Watch is not simply recognition. It is affirmation.

Affirmation that dreams do not expire. Purpose has no age limit. Growth never stops.

“I believe I am every bit as vibrant, capable, and interesting today as I was at 35. Perhaps even more so because of the wisdom, experience, and resilience I’ve gained along the way.”

She embraces this season with gratitude, determination, and excitement for what still lies ahead.

Because if Donna Dees’ story teaches us anything, it is this: life may change your plans. Loss may reshape your path. But faith, resilience, and purpose can transform every setback into a legacy that outlives you.

Connect with Donna Dees

Donna Dees is the founder of LifePath Legacy LLC, where she provides educational seminars, workshops, speaking engagements, and personalized preplanning services that help individuals and families prepare for the future with confidence and peace of mind. She also owns a travel business dedicated to helping families create lasting memories through meaningful travel experiences.

Whether speaking to churches, community organizations, senior groups, or working one-on-one with families, Donna’s mission remains the same: helping people prepare for tomorrow while fully embracing today.

Websites

lifepathlegacyatl.com — Funeral, cremation, and cemetery preplanning services
donnadees.inteletravel.com — Travel business

Social Media

LifePath Legacy — Facebook
Donna Dees — Facebook
@thedonnadees — YouTube
donna.t.dees — Instagram

Business Information PO Box 1374, Lithonia, GA 30058 Email: donna@lifepathlegacyatl.com Phone: 678-982-9805

By Real Women Atlanta Magazine

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Donna Dees?

Donna Dees is the founder of LifePath Legacy LLC, based in Lithonia, Georgia. For more than a decade she has helped families with pre-need funeral, cremation, and cemetery planning. She refers to herself as a “Director of Peace of Mind.”

What is LifePath Legacy LLC?

LifePath Legacy LLC provides pre-need funeral, cremation, and cemetery preplanning services, along with educational seminars, workshops, speaking engagements, and personalized preplanning for individuals and families.

How did Donna Dees become an entrepreneur?

After losing her job in 2005 during the economic recession, she chose entrepreneurship over returning to a traditional corporate career. She explored personal shopping, virtual assistance, and jewelry design before finding preplanning work, where she has now spent more than eleven years.

What does Donna Dees say to people who call her work “selling death”?

Her response has never changed: “No. I offer peace of mind.”

Does Donna Dees do speaking engagements?

Yes. She speaks to churches, community organizations, and senior groups, and provides educational seminars and workshops, alongside one-on-one work with families.

How can I contact Donna Dees?

She can be reached by email at donna@lifepathlegacyatl.com or by phone at 678-982-9805. Her preplanning website is lifepathlegacyatl.com.