Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory

Donna Marie Collins passed away Saturday, March 6, 2021 at age 61. She is survived by her husband, Chuck Collins; four wonderful daughters: Nanci, Nina, Jenna and Julia; her parents, Nick and Nancy Garito; her siblings, Debbie Hindle and Nick Garito Jr (Susan); her mother-in-law, Catherine Collins, brothers-in-law, Steve, Bob, and Jim; sister-in-law, Amy; niece, Christine Bean (Justin) and nephew, Joseph. 

Donna Garito was born on September 25, 1959 in Washington, DC. She grew up in Camp Springs, MD and graduated from Crossland High School in 1977. She went on to Prince George’s Community College and graduated from the University of Maryland in 1981 with a degree in Marketing. Donna landed a coveted position with Xerox and then left to focus more on her marketing interests at Ace Federal Court Reporting where she stayed until 1992. 

She married the love of her life, Chuck, on October 9, 1988. Donna was not only a loving wife to Chuck; she was his soul mate, teammate, cheerleader and competitor. They enjoyed each other’s company, especially traveling together and even simply playing games. They had four beautiful daughters: Nanci in 1992, Nina in 1994, and Jenna and Julia in 1996. With the birth of her first child, Donna embarked on a new career as a stay-at-home mom. She was a wonderful, loving, selfless, and demanding mother who nurtured in her children the importance of serving others.  Her success is reflected in her daughters’ career choices: Nanci is an ER nurse at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC; Nina is a special education teacher in Montgomery County, MD; and twins Jenna and Julia serve as U.S. Naval Flight Officers stationed in Jacksonville, FL and Virginia Beach, VA respectively. 

Donna had many interests. Her greatest passion was her family and ensuring that every occasion - birthday, anniversary and holiday - was special for them. She was also passionate about sports and threw herself into volunteering for her children’s teams and activities. Her twin daughters played Navy women’s lacrosse and their team soon became an extension of Donna’s family. The relationship brought her so much joy that Donna became a USNA-sponsor mom and happily welcomed midshipmen into her home. 

Donna’s last wish was to donate her organs for transplant. Though words cannot describe our despair at losing our beloved Donna, we are happy she is still making a difference in this world 

Friends are invited to celebrate Donna’s life with her family from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, March 12 at the Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory, 2973 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater, MD.  Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 13 at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 620 N. Bestgate Road, Annapolis, MD.  Burial will follow at Lakemont Memorial Gardens in Davidsonville. 

Online condolences may be offered using the Memory Wall tab above.


Saturdays Mass at St. John Neumann can be viewed by using  <a href="https://vimeo.com/event/78413">this link</a>

Donna Marie Collins

Donna Marie Collins

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