David Jay Donner

Hi everyone, For some of you this is not new news but I know you all would want to know so here goes. My brother David lost his nearly three year fight with kidney failure and it's subsequent complications. On Tuesday, Feburary 12th, he passed away in his sleep at the home of my mom and dad. He was 33 years old and a hell of a fighter. His memorial service is scheduled for this Friday, the 22nd, at 4:00pm followed by a reception. It will be held at Horan & McConaty Funeral Home at 11150 E. Dartmouth Ave, Aurora, CO 80014. If you have any questions regarding the service or reception, please feel free to contact Linda or Michael at the funeral home at 303-745-4418. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the David Donner Memorial Fund. The funeral home will have this information. I can also be reached on my cell at 303-905-6788. My family and I appreciate all of your well wishes, thoughts and prayers that you have given us in the past and at this very difficult time. And please remember something that David has taught me over the past few years. No matter how bad you think things are ""it could be worse""! In lieu of flowers donations suggested to: David Donner Memorial Fund c/o First Bank of Aurora 2300 S. Havana Street Aurora, CO 80014 Thank you, Love, Tanja David was born in Traverse City, MI on January 3, 1975. He passed away at the age of 33 years and 40 days on February 12, 2008. He is survived by his parents, Bob and Jean Donner, Aurora, CO. Sister, Tanja Smith, sister, Aurora, CO. Brothers, Daniel (Angela) Donner, Zionsville, IN and Michael (Jenn) Donner, Mt. Pleasant, MI. Abigail and Emily Smith, nieces, Aurora, CO. He is also survived by several aunts and uncles. He graduated from Charlevoix High School in 1993 where he played football became the school's first male cheerleader. Then went on to Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie, MI for his undergraduate where he graduated in 1998. He ultimately got his Master's Degree in Loss Prevention from Eastern Kentucky University in 2000. He started his career at JC Penney and went on to work for Circuit City, Galyans and finally at Charming Shoppes, Inc. as Regional Loss Prevention Manager. From there he became somewhat of a legend in the industry for being a great interrogator. He could walk into a room, know if they were guilty or not and get them to confess to their crime. David had the reputation that if he walked in the door of one of his stores, unannounced, the question among staff was who was leaving in handcuffs. In 2005, he earned the prestigious certification of ""Certified Forensic Interviewer"" which means he was qualified to interrogate any suspect whether it be at the retail level or at a police investigation, if requested. His love, the thing he lived for the most, was football. He ate, breathed and slept football. At the end of the Super Bowl this year, he requested we have a ""moment of silence"". It was not for the Patriots losing but for the official end of football season!! Anyone, who knew David, knows how much he LOVED football. The season will never be the same. David had a kidney transplant almost three years ago (April 2005) that was supposed to be a routine and easy procedure. His younger brother Daniel (a true hero) was his donor so it should have been a breeze. However, the Universe had something else in mind. His body rejected the kidney and it was removed within seven months. The anti-rejection medication caused cancer in his brain and his lungs. Radiation was to treat the brain tumors and chemotherapy for his lungs. The radiation weakened the vessels and caused two strokes within the next four months that left him partially paralyzed and in a wheel chair most of the time. The chemo caused a myriad of side effects and he developed a sort of allergic reaction to the drugs that put him into septic shock and organ shut down, to the point we almost lost him in July of 2006, just 14 months after the transplant. And that caused a whole bunch more problems! It was never ending. This, despite it all, wasn't enough for him to say ""I give up"" or ""I can't do this anymore"" or ""why me?"" . In fact, he never complained or felt pity for himself at the injustice of it all. Indeed, through it all, no matter how bad his situation was or how bad he felt or what the doctors said (good, bad or indifferent), David always said ""It could be worse"". To David, someone was always worse off than he was. In fact, he was planning on getting a tattoo on his left arm with a single word, ""Lucky"". Part of it was his warped sense of humor and part of it was that he really felt that he was lucky. We all believe it was his attitude that kept him (and his family and friends) going and amazed his medical team of professionals that so diligently cared for him. David was an amazing person with incredible strength, courage, dignity, honor, bravery, kindness and an incredible sense of humor. He will be missed. The void we feel by his absence will be filled by the memories of his life. The impact he had on everyone who had the honor of knowing him will go on forever and in that, we can find some solace. Knowing he wouldn't want us to mourn but to celebrate him and the beautiful person he was is what we all need to remember in our time of mourning and grief at the loss of our beloved son, brother, uncle, nephew, friend, patient. D., you are a one of a kind, who will be forever in our hearts and always in our memories of what an amazing person you lived to be. We were truly blessed by your presence that was too short lived here on earth. God speed my brother, my friend.