Donna Lou Nappo

In Loving Memory of
Donna Lou Murray Nappo
June 3, 1949 – February 11, 2026

“Life was always better in Donna’s backyard — where the tire swing was moving, the kids were laughing, and everyone felt at home.”

Some people leave behind memories. Donna Nappo left behind loving traditions. She was the kind of person who filled a home with laughter, spontaneous dancing in the kitchen, backyard games, and more Easter eggs than anyone could count. Whether she was baking apple pies, organizing the toy room, or holding babies at church, Donna made people feel loved, welcomed, and part of the family. Her greatest joy in life was the family she built and the home she created for them.

Donna L. Nappo, 76, of Littleton, Colorado, passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on February 11, 2026.

Donna was born on June 3, 1949, in Indianapolis, Indiana, and was raised in nearby Greenwood alongside her older sister, Janet Murray Bryan, and younger sister, Beth Murray Johnson. The three sisters were “three peas in a pod.”

Donna grew up surrounded by cornfields and wide-open spaces. She was very much a tomboy as a young child, and her parents often had to remind her to put a shirt on because she thought she was just one of the boys. She spent summer evenings catching fireflies and swinging for hours on a tire swing hanging from a large tree in the backyard. She was her father’s shadow much of the time.

At just 15 years old, Donna married before her husband left to serve in the Vietnam War. When he returned home injured, they moved to Colorado close to the hospital. She very much wanted to be a mother, but after several years of trying, they adopted their first child, Tonya. Donna considered Tonya “a dream come true and the one that first made her a mother”, the greatest joy in her life.

Donna was the kind of mother who grew much of the food her family ate in a backyard garden. She made her own baby food, sewed clothing for the family — matching dresses for herself and Tonya, and even matching shirts for her husband. Three years later she became pregnant and welcomed their second child, John, who she almost always called Johnny. Johnny was a lot like Donna — full of curiosity, adventure, and a love for adrenaline-filled activities.

Donna loved driving her orange Chevy Malibu, which was not your typical family car. Johnny repainted it when he was 3 with black spray paint and lacquer (imagine a ladybug), but she had to fix it back to orange. She adored her children and anyone else’s children in general. She watched neighborhood kids during the day to help support the family, bowled in a women’s league (and was very good at it), sold Tupperware, tended her garden, canned vegetables, and baked delicious apple pies every year from the Granny Smith apple tree in her backyard.

When the children were about seven and four years old, Donna and her husband divorced. For a short time she worked as a computer programmer, operating the large computers that used paper coding sheets. The job didn’t last long because she didn’t like leaving her children with someone else during the day.

Not long after, she found the love of her life at church.

Robert (Bob) Nappo swept her off her feet — quite literally. Bob loved to dance, and he took Donna out dancing at disco nightclubs. He drove a Porsche and they loved taking it for rides, though Donna loved it even more when he let her drive it.

Bob also came with a large Italian family, and Donna quickly fell in love with the lively gatherings. After Bob taught her the family spaghetti sauce recipe, Donna became the Italian cook of the family and began a tradition of hosting family dinners and celebrations that would continue for decades. Bob loved Donna’s children as if they were his own, and they loved him right back for his playful spirit and endless creativity. With Bob around, anything felt possible.

Donna and Bob married in 1981, and many adventures followed. The family took frequent road trips to Indiana and New York to visit relatives on both sides of the family, often traveling nearly every year. Donna continued working as a licensed daycare provider so she could be home when her children got out of school.

Donna and Bob loved being parents and wanted a larger family, but their journey was shaped by both heartbreak and hope. One day while watching the local news, Donna saw the “Wednesday’s Child” segment on Channel 4 — a program highlighting children in foster care looking for adoptive families. Donna immediately knew the little boy featured that day, Chris, was meant to be part of their family.

Chris had experienced significant physical trauma and would require patience, therapy, and love. None of that deterred Donna and Bob. After only a few visits, they began the adoption process, and Chris joined the family when Tonya and John were 13 and 10 years old.

Donna was dedicated to supporting Chris through speech and physical therapy, and through her encouragement, positivity, and love, he was able to attend public school alongside children his own age — something many had not expected.

When Chris was about ten years old, Donna and Bob decided to become foster-to-adopt parents. Through that program they welcomed Anna into their home and quickly knew she was the perfect missing piece to their family puzzle. Anna’s creativity and imagination captivated them. Donna and Bob encouraged it by building playhouses, installing swing sets and jungle gyms, and enrolling her in dance classes — though Donna and Bob themselves were just as likely to start dancing together in the kitchen at any moment.

Life was already busy when, just before Valentine’s Day, they received a call that would change their lives again. Bethany, less than a day old, was placed into Donna’s arms — and she never let her go. Anna loved having a little sister, and Donna loved having babies in the house again.

Around this same time, Johnny and his wife Sherri were beginning their own family with their children Ryan, Kylie and Evan. Their children grew up alongside Anna and Bethany, often more like siblings than aunts and uncles. In Donna’s world, titles and timelines didn’t matter — family was family. She simply made room for everyone, and the house was always full of kids, laughter, and the joyful chaos she loved.

As the family grew, so did the joyful chaos of daily life. Donna and Sherri often loaded up what felt like half the neighborhood into the family’s 12-passenger van for trips to the zoo — with Ryan, Kylie, Anna, Bethany, daycare kids, and usually a few extra friends along for the adventure. The van was almost always full, and somehow Donna always managed to make room for one more child.

Church played a significant role in the Nappo family’s life. Youth groups, after-church activities, and softball tournaments with fellow church members, became woven into their routines. Donna’s love for God and her desire for her children to know Him was evident on Wednesday nights, when youth group became an event where Donna would drive all over town picking up every friend Anna invited. On Sundays, Donna often volunteered in the church nursery so she could hold babies during service. Among those who knew her, she was considered “the baby whisperer.”

Donna and Bob also created many family traditions. One favorite was the annual trip to Water World, where Donna was typically the first in line for the toilet bowl ride and the dramatic drop slide that went straight down. She rode them alongside her children and later her grandchildren — usually with Johnny right beside her.

Donna also had a sense of adventure that often surprised people. When Bethany once asked for a paintball party for her birthday, Donna joined right in — to the amazement of Bethany’s friends, who couldn’t believe her mom would play alongside them. Another time, Donna and Bethany set off on Johnny’s four-wheeler for what was supposed to be a short ride, but it turned into a two-and-a-half-hour adventure in the National Forest after they lost their way. They eventually found their way back to camp just as Johnny was preparing to head out on his motorcycle to do a search and rescue mission.

Donna carried forward the joy of the tire swing she had loved as a child, hanging one from the large tree in their yard. Backyard kickball games after family dinners became common during gatherings, and the yard also featured a trampoline and a zipline — where you would often find Donna playing right alongside the kids. At Easter, the backyard became the hiding place for more than 100 plastic Easter eggs for the children and grandchildren.

Donna loved these traditions, but she also had another favorite pastime: Christmas shopping. She bought gifts all year long and seemed to have a special talent for knowing exactly what each child wanted. She also loved the thrill of finding a good deal and could often be found garage-sale hunting or browsing thrift stores, often returning home with small treasures and stories from the day’s adventure. She also had a million hiding places, and some years not all the presents were found on time — which meant many of the children ended up getting twice as many gifts as intended.

The kitchen was always a gathering place, especially during the holidays. Each December, the family would pull out the well-worn recipe tin and spend days baking dozens and dozens of cookies. A family favorite was sugar cookies made with the 1980s “Super Shooter,” a cookie press that pushed out perfectly shaped sugar cookies that rarely lasted long once the kids found them.

She also created one of the family’s favorite inside jokes. When her grandchildren were little and couldn’t quite say “Chick-fil-A,” they called it “Chick-a-lay.” Donna adopted the name immediately, and it stuck. To this day, the entire family still calls it that.

Donna lived with fibromyalgia, but most people would never have known it. She still got down on the floor to play with the kids, even when she hurt. At night she would crawl around the toy room on her hands and knees making sure every toy piece was put back where it belonged — and that both Bert and Ernie were safely returned to the Sesame Street building. The toy room still holds many of the same toys originally purchased in the 1970s for her oldest children — toys now played with by her grandchildren.

Donna’s love often showed up in the quiet, personal moments as well. Even when fibromyalgia made simple tasks painful, she would patiently sit and french braid her girls’ hair for special occasions — sometimes creating elaborate braids that spiraled beautifully and were decorated with tiny gems for events like Sweet 16 celebrations or homecoming. She truly showed up for everything. Whether it was gymnastics, softball, rodeo, lacrosse, baseball or football, Donna was there, no matter how busy life became. She even made things special when she, Sherri and Bethany worked to make chocolate covered strawberries for Ryan’s annual lacrosse tournaments in Vail.

Because she raised children in several different phases of life, Donna developed the wisdom not to sweat the small stuff. She built unique relationships with each of her children and supported them in their individual paths. She opened her home to people in need and offered love and support whenever she could. Watching all her children become parents themselves brought her great pride, and she cherished every moment she spent as “Nona” to her grandchildren. Through every season of life, Donna’s faith remained at the center of her heart. Family and faith defined who she was. She spent countless hours on her knees praying for her children and grandchildren through both joyful and difficult moments, trusting that God was guiding their paths.

About four years ago Donna began experiencing memory loss as dementia slowly progressed. Even as the disease tried to take pieces of her away, certain things remained constant. Her face still lit up when she saw her children and grandchildren. She would immediately turn around whenever she heard Johnny’s voice. And she always felt most at peace simply sitting beside her husband Bob.

As dementia began to affect Donna’s daily life, Sherri became even more of an extraordinary source of love and support. Even while working full time and raising her own family, she faithfully took Donna to therapy appointments, shared lunches and shopping trips, and gently helped her find words when they were hard to express. She helped Donna continue the family traditions she cherished, often working beside her in the kitchen and helping coordinate the gatherings that meant so much to her. Sherri’s kindness, patience, and devotion were a precious gift to Donna and the family, and Donna would be proud to see how she continues to carry forward the love and strength that hold this family together.

Donna built a life centered around family, laughter, and welcoming others into her home. Whether she was baking apple pies, dancing with Bob in the kitchen, or pushing a grandchild on the tire swing, she made ordinary moments feel special. The traditions she created and the love she gave will continue to live on through the many lives she touched.

Her family imagines that somewhere in heaven there is a wide-open yard, a sturdy tree with a tire swing, and plenty of babies waiting to be held. And knowing Donna, she is already there — laughing, swinging, and making sure everyone feels loved.
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Family

Donna is survived by her husband of 44 years, Bob; their children Tonya (Craig) Heller, John (Sherri) Kissinger, Anna Nappo Kline, and Bethany Nappo (Will McCormick); and her cherished grandchildren Ryan (Kaylee) Kissinger, Kylie Kissinger, Evan Kissinger, McKenna Tulloss, Rhiannon Tulloss, Buck Tulloss, David (Alex) Heller, Collin (Emily) Heller, Bailey (Keegan) Heller, Gianna Nappo, Elliana Kline, Aeriana Kline and Jayden McCormick.

She is also survived by her sister, Beth (Steve) Johnson, with whom she shared many long phone conversations filled with laughter and love — a bond they cherished even when miles separated them.

Donna is reunited in heaven with her parents, Donald L. and Bonnie L. Murray; her sister Janet (Steve) Bryan; her infant sister Peggy Jo; her son Christopher A. Nappo; and her precious granddaughter Mia Rose McCormick. Her family finds comfort imagining their joyful reunion. She is also reunited in heaven with Bob’s parents Frank J. and Bertha M. Nappo; and his sister Patricia K. Nappo.
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Celebration of Life

A Celebration of Life Service will be held at Authentic Life Church, 6500 W Coal Mine Ave, Littleton, Colorado, at 2:00 PM on Saturday, March 28.

A potluck-style reception will follow the service so family and friends can share stories, hugs, laughter, and food as they celebrate Donna’s life together.

Donna’s family invites those who knew and loved her to share their favorite memories, stories, or photos so that the traditions, laughter, and love she created can continue to be remembered and celebrated. If you have a story about Donna — a moment that made you laugh, a tradition you shared, or a way she made you feel welcome — we would love to hear it.