Morrissey, Donna, 1956-

Donna Morrissey was born in 1956 and grew up in the small outport community of The Beaches on Newfoundland's west coast. She was the first of six children born to logger and fisherman Enerchius Osmond and his wife Claudine. After dropping out of high school and working in the local fish plant, she left Newfoundland at age sixteen to travel across Canada. She moved throughout the country, spending time in Toronto and Alberta, employed as a cook and bartender, among other things. At age nineteen she married a fellow Newfoundlander. They were together for fifteen years and had two children. After ten years away, Morrissey returned to Newfoundland in her mid-twenties. At age thirty-two she was admitted to Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) as a mature student where she earned a Bachelor of Social Work. After working as a social worker for a year and a half she returned to school and obtained a Diploma in Adult Education. Donna Morrissey has lived and worked in Halifax since 1993.