Nicholas Keith Walker

Nicholas Keith Walker, age 24, of Lone Tree, CO passed away September 14, 2016 of a sudden heart attack. Nick is survived by his mother Toti Cadavid-Colón, stepfather Luis Colón, father Robert Walker, stepmother Cristy Godwin, brother Santiago Colón and sister Catalina Colón, stepbrother Iaian (Hannah) Weber and stepsister Kaelyn Weber, Grandfather Keith Walker, Grandmother Blanca de Cadavid, aunt Luann Walker, uncle Dale (Mary) Walker, cousins Stephen Smith, Michael Smith, Sarah (Ethan) Fugett, Aaron Walker, Audrey Walker. Aunts and uncles Teresa and Edgar Cadavid, Maria Fernanda and Jorge Cadavid, Carlos Cadavid, Mercedes and Guillermo Cadavid, Eligio and Tere Colón, Manolo and Marisol Colón, Marirosa and Eric Zager, Maricarmen Colón, Ricardo Colón and Marigloria Colón; and cousins Ingrid Juliana Cadavid, Edgar Andrés and Paula Cadavid, Dahiana (Andrés) and Michael (Marisol) Cadavid, Maria Alejandra Cadavid, Vanesa and Sebastián Cadavid, Andrés Julián and Camilo Cadavid, Caroline Cadavid, Daniela and Maria del Mar Cadavid, Carlos Manuel and Coralys Colón, Camila, David and Daniel Zager, and Karina, Juliana and Evan Colón. Nick obtained his Eagle Scout ranking in 2009, graduated from Cherry Creek High School (Class of 2011), and completed a certificate program at ENMU at Roswell in 2013 (with honors). Nick lived with his group of friends at Glory Community Assisted Living in Broomfield, CO; worked in manufacturing at TrekPak in Broomfield; and is a former volunteer at Children's Hospital. Nick was born with primordial dwarfism, which provided significant medical challenges structurally and vascularly throughout his life. In spite of the many medical procedures he went through, he always rebounded with an upbeat attitude and a great compassion for others suffering in any way, always relaying to them that he felt their challenges were way greater than his… We called him the Zen master due to his ability to enjoy life at a slower pace and remain centered on what was truly important – he was truly an old soul. Nick's impact on others was dramatic. He made others a better version of themselves by showing them how to live life smiling. Nick was a huge sports fan, particularly of the NBA and college football, with Oklahoma State being his favorite team and Georgia Tech a distant second. Most of his wardrobe consisted of orange shirts and sweatshirts, and NBA basketball jerseys. He could quote statistics about the basketball teams that would keep your head spinning. He loved getting people to laugh and felt it was his job to do so. We will miss his little feet and his big hugs. The Funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, September 21, 2016 at 11:30 a.m. at St. Thomas More Catholic Church 8035 S Quebec St, Englewood, CO 80112. There will be a lunch reception following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are suggested to the Potentials Foundation at http://www.potentialsfoundation.org/, or Potentials Foundation PO Box 34, Sandoval IL 62882. Please share your memories of Nicholas and condolences with the family by signing the guestbook below. Eulogy for Nick Walker, as prepared by his father, Bob: I want to thank you all for coming. Nick touched our lives and I know we are all better people for having known him. He had the courage to face the world standing only 41 inches tall and weighing 45 pounds. He loved his family, friends and the life he had built. He was a comedian at heart with a warm hug for all. One of my favorite memories of Nick was when he was a baby. His mom and I were sitting on the bed with him when he started giggling for no apparent reason. He laughed so hard and he had us laughing with him. He could always make us laugh. Early on we tried to get Nick into a private school. The interview did not go well. He took one look at the rather stern administrator, crawled under her desk and would not come out. Nick went through the Cherry Creek School system, made many great friends and became an Eagle Scout. He was in his high school play and was one of the last kids to go home from his senior prom. After high school Nick spent a year at Eastern New Mexico University in Roswell. It was scary to let him go but he loved it. He met more great friends and a charming young lady named Amanda who would later become his girlfriend. Nick always had a sense of what was right for him. In elementary school he convinced me to adopt a three-legged poodle that no one else wanted. He named him Charlie Pepper Walker. Charlie helped Nick through a lot of hard times. Nick's medical care has always been complicated. He has had numerous procedures and surgeries. He was rarely scared and seemed to think the laughing gas before surgeries was a lot of fun. In 2009 Nick had an aneurysm and a heart attack within eight months of each other. He was 17. Both times we flew him by air ambulance to Stanford. I remember sitting in the PICU at Stanford when Nick was coming out of sedation following his first coronary artery stent. With his eyes stilled closed he said ""Bond, James Bond"". I can't repeat the rest here. Nick loved being a big brother to Santi and Cata. I understand that he recently helped Santi pick out clothes for his 1st high school homecoming. Nick had a loving and wonderful mom in Toti. He loved his step-parents Cristy and Luis. They have been great sources of strength to both his mom and myself. Nick had strong friends in Brad, Matt, Michael, Cassie, Kelly and Sean. In 2002 he met Brad, Bri and Hannah at the Little People's conference in Salt Lake City. Brad became an instant best friend and it opened a new world to him. There truly was someone else like him. He loved his cousins. In August he flew by himself to St. Louis to see Brad's family for a week and then to Oklahoma City to spend another week with his cousins, aunt and grandfather. Nick lived most of last year at Glory Community in Broomfield. He worked two days a week at Trekpak. He had achieved most of his life goals. Nick, it has been an honor to be your father. You were a courageous and loving young man. You were always quick with a joke and gave the best hugs ever. Mark, a friend from Glory Community, thinks you are now playing in Heaven's NBA league. I can see you ringing the front door bell just to drive your dog into a tizzy. Charlie always fell for that one. As you ring Heaven's doorbell today, we can only imagine how excited Charlie and everyone there will be to have you as their newest angel. Love you and miss you son.