Meet Dolly Parton’s Niece, Danielle, Who’s A Decorated Military Veteran
on
In light of country music icon Dolly Parton‘s passing this week, many of her family members have been paying tribute to their famous aunt who was beloved by millions around the world.
Among them is her niece, Danielle Parton, and she has lived a fascinating life of service and independence — and a life that has been marked by the woman she says was her friend, aunt, confidant, and mentor.
RELATED: Dolly Parton Locked A Song In A Time Capsule That Will Never Be Heard Until 2046
Meet Dolly Parton’s Niece, Danielle Parton
Danielle, who is presently 50 years old, is a combat veteran, a businesswoman, and a proud member of the Parton family.
Her father is Bobby Parton, the fifth of the 12 Parton children that include the world famous Dolly Parton.
According to the website for the distillery she established in Sevierville, Tennessee, in 2020, Shine Girl, Danielle was the first female in the Parton family to graduate from college, having studied at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.
She graduated in 1998 with a degree in Business Administration.
However, Danielle had a lifelong love and interest in flying, and she became a flight attendant for American Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
Shortly after, she enlisted in the Air National Guard, serving as a pilot in the 118th Wing, Nashville; 123rd Airlift Wing, Louisville, Kentucky; and 164th Airlift Wing, Memphis, Tennessee.
Speaking with Garden & Gun in 2023, Danielle said, “I’m just not fit for repetitive office work. I have a gypsy soul.”
In 2012, Danielle became an Aircraft Commander, deploying on several occasions (including to places like Kuwait) and earning the Combat Action Medal, and the Air Medal.
Notably, she was also placed on the Commodore’s List of Flying Excellence for Under Graduate Pilot Training, and her Shine Girl website adds that she is a Distinguished Graduate of C-5 Initial Qualification, which is the test that allows for military pilots to operate the C-5 Galaxy.
In her interview with Garden & Gun, she described the C-130 as “the love of my life.”
In 2025, Danielle retired from her role as the Chief of Public Affairs for the 118th Wing, with her Aunt Dolly attending the retirement ceremony.
Learn more about Shine Girl by visiting its Facebook page, here.
Watch Danielle Parton speak about her interest in flying, and her family, here:
@flywithaopa Danielle Parton, niece of country music legend Dolly Parton, started her aviation career flying C-130s and C-5s overseas for the Air National Guard and now works as an airline pilot. Her side hustle is her moonshine distillery, Shine Girl, in Sevierville, Tennessee. Watch the full video on our Youtube channel – link in bio! #FlywithAOPA #AOPA #ForYouPage #ForYou #fyp #creatorinsights #Aviation #Parton #Pilot #NationalGuard #C5 #C130 #moonshine ♬ original sound – FlywithAOPA
RELATED: “Individual Liberty” Championed As U.S. Court Lifts 158-Year Ban On Home Distilling
Watch Danielle Parton Pay Tribute To Her Late Aunt
“Thank you to the thousands of you that have reached out to me and offered your condolences,” Danielle said in a Aug. 26 video on the Facebook page for her distillery, Shine Girl. “I’m with you. The world will never be the same without Dolly Parton in it.”
Continuing, she said, “I’m so fortunate that I got to share in her life for 50 years of her 80, we’re 30 years apart.”
Describing Dolly as her “friend, my aunt, my confidant, my mentor,” adding that she will miss their early morning conversations, adding that Dolly knew her and the other kids in a very personal and special way.
She recalled that her Aunt Dolly used to tell her, “‘Danielle, if you have the chance to grab one minute of happiness in this world,’ she said, ‘you take it. This world’s hard enough. This life’s hard enough. You be happy when you can be happy.'”
Thinking back on a time that Danielle was offered a deal that would’ve brought in millions of dollars for herself and her business, she remembered that something didn’t feel right, even as many were telling her to go fir it, anyway.
However, it was her Aunt Dolly, she said, who “was the only one who didn’t have heartburn about me saying ‘no’ to it,” adding that “so many people had their panties in a twist except for her.”
She remembered that Dolly told her, “‘You know what’s right for you.'”
Looking big picture about the death of her aunt, Danielle said, “She would not want us wallowing around in grief on it. She would tell me to get my ‘rear in gear, and get on with it.'”
In the spirit of her aunt, she concluded her video by saying, “Go out there and be good to one another.”
Watch Danielle Parton’s video statement on the passing of her aunt, here.
RELATED: Stella Parton Reveals How To Honor Dolly Parton’s Legacy In Touching Tribute
