Donna J Lydon

It takes a big heart to shape little minds, inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning. Teachers don't just teach, they anchor, ignite, and lift. She affects eternity; we can never tell where her influence stops, and no one can take it away from you. Mrs. Donna J. Lydon (nee Olivieri) nurtured those around her by taking charge. Donna was determined, vigilantly interested in helping in a fair and equal manner, and was happiest when sharing time with others. She loved being a teacher of children and, over the years, held on to lifelong friendships.

At the end of each school day, the bell would ring and the children would go home. Early in the morning on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, it was time for Donna to go home. The tide slipped away from her beach’s sands and we handed her over from time to eternity, at the ocean’s horizon, just a little further than the sun. Watch the sunset and remind us again why the end can’t be something beautiful.

Donna was born in Camden to Enrico and Diana (nee Boccolini) Olivieri. She had spent her formative years in Oaklyn, and, more recently, was a Mt. Laurel neighbor. She had been a parishioner of St. Joseph the Worker Parish, St. Aloysius Church, Oaklyn, and made her career shaping the minds of young students as an elementary and reading teacher in the Southampton Twp. Schools. Donna loved to travel, spending summers in LBI and Sea Isle at the Jersey shore. She visited Ireland and Italy and even took a small MLB ballpark tour, visiting 6 ballparks. As a young mom, her boys would tell ya she was even an amateur baseball coach. Donna loved to invest herself in a good book, no matter where she was, but nothing was better than hooking into a good deal. Donna grew up in a household of brothers, but her lifelong friends, the “Oaklyn Girls,” were just like her sisters.

In the warmth of the afterglow of her sunset, Donna leaves to cherish her memory, her loving and devoted husband, M. Joseph Lydon. She will be deeply missed by her boys, Kevin & his wife Priscilla, and Andrew & his wife Samantha Lydon. She is the proud “Nonna” of Eliana Josephine, Giovanna Diana, Conor, and Zachary. She is also survived and will be sadly missed by her brothers, Daniel & his wife Marie Olivieri, David & his wife Joan Olivieri, and Dwayne & his wife Gerri Olivieri. Donna is also survived and will be sadly missed by her nieces, nephews, and a full lifetime of friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

Relatives, friends, neighbors, and teachers are invited to gather with the Lydon family. We’ll come together to take comfort in each other on Friday morning between 10:00 am and 12:30 pm at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, St. Aloysius Church, 37 W. Haddon Ave., Oaklyn, where we will celebrate her life in faith at 12:30 pm in a Mass of Christian Burial, Fr. Walter Norris, Celebrating.

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