Saturday, January 23, 2021
First of all my deepest sympathies to Don's family, friends, co-workers & all his connections. He's definitely grown his web over the years and impacted a lot of lives. Don & I grew up together, literally, so I know a much different Don than most. He's been my longest running friend, almost best friend, that actually kept in touch & didn't disappear like the rest. I recall our first day of PE class I was going to skip swimming but Don coerced me because he couldn't swim. So I got in and he followed right behind, right of the diving board in a pike position lol. I watched Don grow up from the guy who took a kids baseball hat for no reason with the only reason of "because I could" he said (which even last summer he was still trying to find the guy to apologize), the midnight panic call that there's an APB out for Red Cherokee with a trash can in the back "What do I do Carrie!?!", the gang of us rendezvousing in the middle of the night at nonsense places like Gold hill Mesa empty fields and random friends homes, the midnight calls from Wasted State telling me his tall tales, the celebrations while getting to UCCS, the nervous yet carefully created plans to make that fantastic perfect proposal on Mt Princeton then the update how it didn't go exactly as planned but still resulted in the desire he dreamed of, each of his new businesses, golf endeavors and the life he created. I was honored to be the person he so trusted visit to visit or call on the line with the crazy, all the crazy, choices that ended badly, how he recovered and learned from it and then all the turn arounds and successes he made on down the line. And all the apologies he made along the way. I guess he knew I wouldn't judge him and we'd be close no matter what either of us did. I hope I was as much support to him as he was to me, and he eventually to my children. I remember the New Years Eve he and Gary "kidnapped" me to the pool hall for games and champagne when I'd holed up as a new mom. He knew I needed to be me. I, and the kids, will miss our visits with you and I already miss the phone calls, texts and messages. Don, I'll always see you out there, even if it's in a Red Cherokee with a trash can in the back, in a pool hall or on the golf course lol. We lived the most of our time where cameras weren't available to be in our hands (some of those event probably best not documented too lol). We truly lived in the moments each and every time we got together and so with that, all those photographs are in our hearts and minds. Thank you Don for everything you have been to me and to everyone else. RIP my dear friend until we meet up again.
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