Donna J. Desandolo

Born Donna J. Lovenberg on June 21, 1957, to Albert and Barbara (Horn) Lovenberg, Donna was born and raised in Morristown, New Jersey. She later raised her own family in Warren, New Jersey, before moving to West Caldwell and eventually settling in Orlando, Florida.

Donna married the love of her life, Albert “Chip” DeSandolo, and just five days before her passing, they celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary. To their children, the love between them was simply what marriage looked like. It wasn’t until they got older that they realized just how rare it was. After 45 years, Donna and Chip were still completely crazy about each other—sometimes almost embarrassingly sappy about it. They were best friends, partners in everything, and genuinely happiest when they were together. When Chip was asked to put into words what Donna meant to him, he said simply, “She was my home.” After a lifetime of watching them love each other, there really isn’t a better way to say it.

Together they raised their children, Amanda and Ryan, and motherhood was at the very center of Donna’s life. That didn’t change just because her children grew up. They remained part of her everyday world. Amanda and Donna talked multiple times a day, did just about everything together and were truly best friends, while Ryan shared so much of the day-to-day life and ordinary moments with his mom that meant more than anyone realized at the time.

With Chip and Ryan at home, and Amanda and her family living right next door in West Caldwell, Donna was rarely far from the people she loved most. After moving to Florida, only a few houses separated them once again. The family always joked that they were their own version of Everybody Loves Raymond—everyone together, everyone involved in everyone else’s business, and apparently no one capable of living very far from one another. And truthfully, they wouldn’t have had it any other way.

But of all the titles Donna held throughout her life, Nana may have been her favorite.

Mickey, Macy and Meadow were the absolute lights of her life. She took care of them, played with them, baked with them and spoiled them every chance she got. There was very little Nana wouldn’t do for them, and nothing made her happier than simply being with them. Retirement gave Donna the opportunity to spend even more time doing what she loved most—being their Nana.

Donna also shared an incredibly close relationship with her only sister, Debbie. They were much more than sisters; they were true friends who talked almost every day, vacationed together and shared a closeness that remained one of the constants throughout Donna’s life.

Donna spent many years working in property management with Segal & Segal before retiring, but anyone who knew Donna knew that her greatest accomplishments could never be measured by a job title.

They were found at home.

They were in the Christmas cookies everyone looked forward to each year. They were in a house lovingly decorated for every holiday. They were in shopping trips, baking with her grandchildren, family gatherings and the countless little traditions that made ordinary days feel special.

Donna was beautiful, inside and out. She was loving, caring, supportive, generous and endlessly selfless. She loved fiercely and completely, and the people fortunate enough to be loved by her never had to question it.

Donna is survived by her beloved husband of 45 years, Albert “Chip” DeSandolo; her daughter and son-in-law, Amanda and Matthew Meyer, and her son Ryan DeSandolo; her cherished grandchildren, Mickey, Macy and Meadow; her siblings, James Lovenberg and his wife Kathy, Deborah and her husband Keith, Albert and his wife Doreen, and Scott and his wife Sharon; her sister-in-law Denise; and many nieces, nephews, extended family members and close friends who loved her dearly.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Albert and Barbara Lovenberg; her brother, David Lovenberg; and her in-laws, Gloria and Albert Charles DeSandolo.

For those who loved her, there will never have been enough time. Forty-five years wasn’t enough for her husband. A lifetime wasn’t enough for her children. And no amount of time could ever have been enough for Mickey, Macy and Meadow to have their Nana.

But Donna leaves behind something far greater than the years she was given. She leaves behind a family that knows what it feels like to be loved completely.

Her family will carry her with them, in every Christmas cookie baked, every holiday decoration hung, every family gathering, and all of the ordinary moments she somehow made extraordinary.

And for Amanda, who ended countless conversations with the same words, there is only one way to say goodbye:

I love you more than all of the stars, Mom. Always.

Family and friends are invited to celebrate Donna’s life on Monday, August 31, 2026, from 3:00 to 6:30 p.m. at Baldwin-Fairchild Oviedo Funeral Home, 501 E. Mitchell Hammock Road, Oviedo, Florida 32765. A memorial service will begin at 6:30 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Donna’s memory to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, an organization she faithfully supported and held close to her heart.