Donna Noll Stothfang is a writer, essayist, and funeral celebrant based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her work explores caregiving, distance, dementia, grief, and the emotional complexities of family responsibility—especially when aging forces difficult decisions.

Born on Long Island but shaped largely in Cincinnati, Donna brings East Coast candor and Midwestern sensibilities to both her writing and her work. She developed an early love for music, storytelling, and public speaking, and earned a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, launching a career centered on communication and meaningful storytelling.

Donna began her career in broadcast journalism, working with NPR affiliate WMUB and WKRC-TV. She also wrote radio commercials, public service announcements, and news releases for WMOH Radio before moving into advertising and public relations. Over the years, she helped individuals and organizations communicate complex ideas clearly and effectively, securing media coverage in The New York Times andThe Cincinnati Enquirer. Her writing has also appeared in trade publications, The Greenhills Journal, and The Community Press.

She is also a member of NSAOhio, a chapter of the National Speakers Association, where she continues to develop and refine her work as a speaker and communicator.

In 2018, Donna expanded her storytelling work in a deeply personal direction when she became a certified funeral celebrant with Spring Grove Cemetery & Arboretum. Since then, she has helped more than 60 families honor loved ones through personalized funeral and memorial services, helping them find words for grief, gratitude, and remembrance when words are often hardest to find.

Donna’s writing took on new urgency in 2019 when dementia began affecting her mother’s life while she lived more than 1,000 miles away. Navigating long-distance caregiving during the COVID pandemic profoundly shaped both her life and her work, deepening her commitment to helping families prepare for the emotional and practical realities of aging, caregiving, and end-of-life decisions.

Today, through personal essays, her Elder Journey Insights blog, and select speaking engagements, Donna helps families face difficult conversations with greater clarity, compassion, and courage.