Darlette Killa, 70

AUSTINTOWN…With profound sadness, the family of Darlette Killa, age 70, announces her unexpected passing in the early morning hours of September 20, 2026. Her sudden loss leaves an immeasurable void in the lives of the family she loved so deeply and the many people fortunate enough to have known her.

She was born July 22, 1956, the daughter of Joseph and Dorothy Onestak. She was a 1974 graduate of Campbell Memorial High School and went on to pursue her passion for education at Youngstown State University, earning her Bachelor of Education degree in 1979 with a specialty in secondary reading.

On August 2, 1985, she married the love of her life, Denis Killa. Together, they shared 41 beautiful years of marriage, building a life centered around faith, family, laughter, and an enduring love for one another. Denis was not only her husband, but her best friend and favorite companion. In retirement, some of her greatest joys came from simply enjoying life alongside him, especially traveling together and making memories wherever their adventures took them.

She devoted 30 years of her life to teaching in the Youngstown City School District. Teaching was far more than a career to her; she genuinely cared for the children who entered her classroom and believed in the difference a teacher could make in a young person’s life. In 2009, that devotion was recognized when she received the Students’ Choice Most Inspiring Teacher Award, a fitting honor for a woman who spent decades encouraging and inspiring others.

Although she was proud of her career, the role she treasured most was caring for her family. After retiring from teaching, she poured her heart into being a devoted wife, mother, and, most especially, grandmother. Her grandchildren became the center of her world. She helped raise them, cared for them, worried about them, celebrated them, and loved them with the kind of unconditional love only a grandmother can give. There was no task too small, no day too busy, and no sacrifice too great when it came to her family. Being there for the people she loved was simply who she was.

A devout Catholic, she was an active member of St. Joseph Church in Austintown, where she rarely missed a Sunday Mass. Her faith was a constant throughout her life and could be seen not only in her devotion to the Church, but also in the way she treated others, with compassion, generosity, patience, and kindness.

Darlette also cherished the friendships that became family throughout her life. She leaves behind her dear friends, John and Roseann Grahovac, whose friendship and love meant so much to her and her family. Sunday Mass will also never be quite the same for her close friend, Rose Senvisky, who shared so many Sundays sitting beside Darlette at St. Joseph Church. Those simple, familiar moments of friendship were among the many quiet joys that made her life so full.

She also had an enormous love for her Yorkshire terriers, who were very much members of her family. They brought her endless companionship and happiness, and they, too, feel the absence of the person who loved and cared for them so dearly. Those who knew her will never forget her contagious laugh, the kind of laugh that could fill a room and make everyone around her smile. But even more than her laughter, she will be remembered for her pure heart and extraordinarily kind soul. She loved deeply, gave freely, and found her greatest happiness in making sure the people around her were cared for. Her warmth, her faith, her laughter, and the love she gave so effortlessly will live on in every person whose life she touched.

She sadly leaves behind her beloved husband of 41 years, Denis Killa; her two children and their spouses, Daniel and Sara Killa and Carri and Ben Hannis; and the grandchildren she adored beyond measure, Josh, Benny, and Joey.

The Killa family has entrusted Darlette’s care to the Wasko Funeral Home in Campbell, Ohio where calling hours will be held on Thursday, September 24, 2026 from 5-7pm. A prayer service will be held at 10am on Friday, September 25, 2026 at the funeral home followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11am at St. Blaise Parish ( St. Joseph Church) in Austintown, Ohio.

Her family will forever carry with them the countless memories she created, the lessons she taught, the traditions she began, and the unconditional love she gave them throughout her life. Seventy years could never have been enough for those who loved her. Though her family would give anything for one more conversation, one more trip, one more Sunday, or simply to hear that unforgettable laugh again, they will remain forever grateful for the privilege of calling her their wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, and friend.

She leaves behind a legacy that cannot be measured in years, awards, or accomplishments, but in love: in a husband who was loved completely, children who always knew they could count on their mother, grandchildren who will grow up knowing just how deeply their grandmother adored them, students whose lives were changed by a teacher who believed in them, and a family that will carry pieces of her with them for the rest of their lives.

She was deeply loved, and she will be deeply missed every day, for the rest of their lives.