The Ohio education community is grieving the devastating loss of Donald and Maria Galindo Nunney, two beloved teachers who died in a car crash while on a trip to North Carolina to drop off their oldest son at college. The tragedy occurred on Friday, August 15, as the couple was traveling with their three children.
According to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol, 55-year-old Donald Nunney was driving eastbound on Interstate 40 near Chapel Hill when their Honda Odyssey veered off the right side of the roadway, struck several small trees, went down an embankment, and collided with a large tree. Both Donald and his wife, 50-year-old Maria Galindo Nunney, who was in the passenger seat, died at the scene.
The couple’s younger children, Lucia, 15, and Leo, 9, sustained serious injuries and were hospitalized. Their oldest son, Noah, 19, a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was traveling in a separate vehicle and witnessed the aftermath of the crash. Family members say he has been at his siblings’ bedsides since the accident, offering comfort as they recover.
At the time of the accident, the family was headed to lunch near UNC, where Noah is beginning his sophomore year. The Nunneys also have another son, Diego, 18. A family fundraiser shared that the two youngest children are “healing from major trauma and injuries,” and called the loss “an unimaginable tragedy” for the four siblings.
Donald and Maria were both dedicated educators in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, remembered as “amazing and loving parents” who gave wholeheartedly to both their family and their students. Their deaths came just days before the start of the new school year, leaving their colleagues and community heartbroken.
Shari Obrenski, president of the Cleveland Teachers Union, described the loss as “shocking and heartbreaking,” adding that the impact on both the family and school community is immeasurable.
Loved ones say Donald and Maria leave behind a legacy of love, service, and devotion—to their family, their students, and their community. As tributes pour in, efforts are underway to support their children and ensure the Nunneys’ spirit of kindness and commitment continues to live on.