College Mourns Loss of Nursing Student

A member of Donnelly College's Practical Nursing program, Calleb Lugano, was fatally involved in a car accident over the weekend.

The single father of a young daughter (who was not with him at the time of the accident) was originally from Kenya and had recently become a naturalized US citizen.

The Donnelly College family will continue to mourn this loss and asks for thoughts and prayers for Lugano's family and friends.

"Both the nursing faculty and his fellow nursing students are deeply saddened by the loss of Calleb," said Director of Nursing Patty Palmietto. "He was a very vibrant, caring soul who provided us with a daily ray of sunshine every time he smiled. His sense of humor, dedication and love for God and his daughter will be cherished and remembered by all of us who knew him. The nursing profession has lost the opportunity to have experienced his immense passion for caring and his love of people with his passing. His classmates and the faculty have pledged to carry on his spirit and do what we can to keep his vibrancy alive and productive within us."

The College will hold the following services in remembrance of Lugano:

  • Tuesday, July 5 at 2 p.m.: Memorial Mass (in the Donnelly College 7th floor chapel)

  • Tuesday, July 5 at 3:30 p.m.: Ecumenical prayer service with Lugano's pastor, classmates, and Donnelly's clergy and staff (in the Donnelly College Meeting Room)

Additionally, funeral is set for 5 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6 at Neema Community Church (621 S. Lee Ave., Olathe, KS). Lugano's friends set up a fundraiser to cover funeral expenses. Donate here.