Donata Kiewski Mucha

Donata Kiewski Mucha was lovingly known to family, friends, and neighbors by several names, including Danka, Donna, and Diana. She was fluent in Spanish, Polish, and English, with Spanish becoming her go-to language as she advanced in years.

Born in Brazil to Polish immigrant parents in 1936, Donata traveled as an infant with her family by covered wagon to Argentina, where they settled. Working for meatpacking and thread making industries, her parents saved enough money to start their own businesses, at different times running a small grocery store, a bar, a vegetable shop, and a butcher shop. Donata helped her parents run their businesses and attended school. Drawn to artistic pursuits, she enjoyed painting, drawing, and embroidery, and she liked to beautify her spaces by crafting and decorating furnishings for herself out of orange crates, as well as painting lovely floral patterns on her dresses and skirts.

There were hardships, including rheumatic fever and a broken nose from a fall, and there were joys, including happy times with her parents, Jacobo and Natalia, whom she adored, plus dances, movies, and fun social gatherings. Schooling continued into college, where she studied pre-med and felt great empathy for the suffering she saw. Donata met her future husband, Mieczyslaw, at a Polish club. They married and had two children, whom she dedicated herself to raising, excelling at motherhood.

Immigrating to the United States, Donata and her family first lived in Chicago, Illinois, then moved to San Diego, California, where she learned to drive and continued to improve her English language skills, all the while teaching her kids to be fluent in Spanish and pick up some Polish, too. A fantastic teacher, she homeschooled her children as preschoolers, and she continued to teach them every summer break.

Donata remained in San Diego until her eighties, where she enjoyed gardening, cooking, and chatting with great neighbors. Once her kids were grown, she worked at several local businesses, including light industrial spaces and eating establishments, where she enjoyed interacting with coworkers and customers alike. Her childhood rheumatic fever led to heart valve replacement as an adult. After her husband passed away, the family moved her to Fort Collins, Colorado, to be closer to more family members. Despite having dementia, she never stopped recognizing and loving her family, and she spread so much love to residents and caregivers alike at her memory care facility.

Family was number one for Donata. She treated everyone with kindness, and she had a big heart for children and animals. She enjoyed traveling and new adventures, nature and colorful flowers, and happy times with family.

Donata passed away in 2025 at the age of 89. She is survived by her son Robert, daughter Graciela and her husband Kevin, and grandchildren Susanne and Aspen. She was an amazing, sweet person who will live in our hearts forever.