Maria Galindo Nunney,Donald Nunney Obituary, Death; – Two cherished educators in Ohio tragically passed away last week in an accident while traveling to North Carolina to drop off their eldest son at college, as reported by authorities and local news outlets.
Their two younger children sustained serious injuries in the incident but survived.
On Friday, August 15, at approximately 1:18 p.m. local time, 55-year-old Donald Nunney was operating a Honda Odyssey heading east on Interstate 40 near Chapel Hill when his vehicle “veered off the right side of the roadway … [and] collided with several small trees,” a representative from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol informed PEOPLE.
The minivan “traveled down an embankment and struck a large tree,” the spokesperson stated. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, and additional information regarding the circumstances has not been disclosed.
Both Nunney, aged 55, and his wife, 50-year-old Maria Galindo Nunney, who was in the passenger seat, lost their lives.
A 9-year-old and a 15-year-old in the vehicle were taken to the hospital with serious injuries, according to the highway patrol spokesperson.
The Galindo family identified the injured children in a fundraising effort as the Nunneys’ son Leo and daughter Lucia.
Investigators informed CBS affiliate WOIO that the couple was in North Carolina to escort their eldest son, later identified as 19-year-old Noah, to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. They were nearing the campus when witnesses observed the minivan crash.
At the time of the accident, the family was en route to lunch, as stated by Maria’s brother, Sandro Galindo, to CBS affiliate WNCN.
Noah was traveling in a separate vehicle and pulled over to the side of the highway following the incident, as reported by WOIO.
Sgt. Tyler Tucker with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol conveyed to the outlet that Noah remained at his siblings’ hospital bedsides to provide comfort.
“Their entire world has changed,” he remarked to WOIO.
According to the GoFundMe page established to assist the family, which also includes an 18-year-old son named Diego, the two youngest children are “recovering from significant trauma and injuries.”
Donald and Maria were both educators at the Cle
“These four incredible kids are facing an unimaginable loss,” the GoFundMe’s organizers wrote. “As their family, we want to do everything we can to make sure their needs are cared for and their futures protected.”
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The organizers described Maria and Donald as “amazing and loving parents” and highlighted their devotion to their family and in class: “They gave so much of themselves to their students and their community.” Their deaths occurred not long before the first day of school at UNC, on Monday, Aug. 18. Shari Obrenski, the president of the Cleveland Teachers Union, told WOIO that the school community is reeling.
“Their loss has hit everyone so hard that it is unimaginable for their family and their children,” Obrenski said. “So shocking and heartbreaking and just devastating.” the family and members of the school mourn, loved ones say they are working to honor the “legacy of community, family, and love” that Maria and Donald leave behind.
“That legacy will live on through Noah, Diego, Lucia, and Leo, who carry forward the very best parts of who their parents were,” wrote the organizers of the GoFundMe, which has raised more than $128,000 as of Tuesday, Aug. 19.
