Bold and the Beautiful’s Jennifer Gareis Honors Her Grandparents

By the time Jennifer Gareis joined The Bold and the Beautiful as Donna Logan, original cast member Lesley Woods had already made her last appearance as the character of Grandma Logan. However, Gareis has loving memories of her real-life grandmother and grandfather to whom she recently honored.

Jennifer Gareis Shares Family Memories

“Looks like my folks brought the cold east coast weather this way!” Gareis, a native of Lancaster, Penn., recently posted on Instagram about her mom and dad coming out for a visit. “I love when we get to put on a hat, scarf, and sweater in sunny Los Angeles!” Contrary to certain myths, yes, it can — and does — get chilly in sunny Southern Calif. Gareis shared a photo of her and her parents dining out, and in the pic, which can be seen below, Gareis is wearing a few articles of clothing that are quite dear to her.

Treasured Memories

“This hat is especially precious to me since my late grandmother made it for me,” Gareis emoted. “I have them in every color! My sweater belonged to my dad’s dad, I still haven’t washed it after all these years! It is nice to remember & celebrate our loved ones who have moved on to a better place.”

Gareis says that her grandparents, had they lived, were going to welcome big milestones this year. “They both would have celebrated their birthdays recently if they were still alive today, at more than 100 years old!” the actress shares.

Jennifer Gareis Is the Third ‘Donna’

The character of Donna was created by actress Carrie Mitchum, who played the part for the first few years of the show and made appearances into the mid-90s (usually at family weddings). Mary Sheldon appeared as Donna in 2001. Five years later, Gareis, best known for her run as Grace Turner on The Young and the Restless, took over the part and has played the role on and off ever since. The show recently rejuvenated Donna’s love affair with her ex-husband, “honey bear” Eric Forrester (John McCook).

The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS. For an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.