Read Dakotah Castner's Obituary & Leave Condolences

In memory of

Dakotah Castner

Henderson, CO

September 22, 1993 - September 21, 2019

Sep 22, 1993 - Sep 21, 2019

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“A Message From Dakotah”
(Please read an important message from Dakotah’s mom at the end of this obituary)

It’s been said that every cloud has a silver lining. I know firsthand that is indeed a fact because a few days ago, I had to move away from my old home. My new place is at a much higher elevation and I can literally reach out and touch the clouds from my window.

Let me tell you how this all started. Early Saturday morning, there was an accident, I will refer to this as “the cloud”. It was terrible and it left a path of destruction through my hometown. The mess it left could only be compared to a hurricane. Unfortunately, I had to leave immediately and my family is left behind to clean up and rebuild after the storm. It may take awhile because there’s no doubt I was (by far) the tallest and strongest guy in the family. This job would be done in no time if I could only be there to help them with the really heavy stuff.

Some of the hardest hit areas include the hearts of my two precious little boys, Samuel (7) and Nehemiah (3 months) - I call him Nemo. The “cloud” also completely destroyed my girlfriend’s heart, Julia Khatuntseva. Julia is a beautiful girl who I love dearly and I will for eternity. Complete devastation has been felt by my mom and step-dad (Heidi & Wayne Forbes), my brothers (Ron Werth & Colten Ellis), my sister (Heather Schindler), her husband (Derek Schindler) and my wonderful nephews & niece (Landon Werth, Violet Samuels & Decker Schindler). The storm caused a lack of oxygen in the environment so all of them are having a terrible time breathing right now. Also in the path of the storm we’re my step-siblings (Danyelle Forbes Gillespie, Taylor Forbes & Holden Forbes) and my two half brothers (Derek Schissler & Dylan Keller).

It breaks my heart, but my grandparents home was hit really hard. Papa and Grandma (Larry & Darlene Ford) I want you to know how much I hated to see you all crying like that when I left. Please know that I’m still around, but the sound of me flopping on your couch isn’t quite as loud. I may be quieter, but I will be “flopping” on your couch often. My dear Nana Linda (Linda Castner), she tried so hard to keep me from leaving but sometimes it just doesn’t work out no matter how hard you try. Even my Papa Roy & Nettie (Roy & Lynette Castner) were hit hard way out in California. I was blessed to get an extra grandma (Daralyn Tomasi). She’s in a lot of pain right now. Grandma, I want you to know that I’m up here and I’ve got things covered on this end. I will be here to give grandpa (Gordon Tomasi) someone to talk to when he arrives.

I called to see if there was any devastation where my dad lives (Todd Castner), but it seems the lines there had been severely damaged. I hear crews are working on it now. There was some unfinished business between us, but since I am in a place where all miracles are made, maybe now there will be a chance for things to be made right.

Every home of my aunts & uncles (Larry & Laurie Ford, Sean & Samantha Ford, Cammy Castner, Scott Forbes) got hit as well as the homes of all of my cousins and their families. I would name every one you but “Wow!” there are a lot of us. Just remember how much love I have for each of you.

This really shook someone else I care dearly about, Joe Ellis. He is one of the men in my life that inspired me to be a great dad. I love you, Joe.

But let’s get to the “Silver Lining” part of the story. Right after the accident, I met a Guy. To some of you, it may sound strange, but I woke up right after the accident and He seemed to appear out of nowhere. He told me that He had been there the whole time and I truly believe He really had been. He knew EVERYTHING about me... that I grew up in Brighton and Loveland, CO, that I am outrageously funny and that I love my family more than anything. I think the “Love” part really impressed him. He’s big on “Love”.

Well, right away He took me in and offered me a beautiful home to live in, free food all day and a position with his organization.

Get this! I have been personally appointed by THE Head Guy here to strategize and implement a plan to meddle in the 2020 Presidential election. He says I was chosen for this position because of my success rate at winning almost every game our family has ever played of Oh Shit! I plan on playing the game up here with some of my new friends, but it seems we may need to change the name of the game somewhat.

I’ve also been put in charge of re-modeling the best restaurant in town. I’ve decided that the new decor will be a re-creation of my grandma’s kitchen - complete with a pantry where I will stand and stare in amazement at the stacks of cans of oysters & sardines. They will never run out, because Papa is in charge of refilling the supply.

I’ve even got free reign to re-vamp the restaurant menu. What do you think of this?

Prime Rib
Beef Wellington
Chili with cinnamon rolls
Green Bean Casserole
Halloween Sugar cookies

I have already provided to the chef here, my grandma’s recipes. Each and every one of them is my favorite.

We all pitch in here, so I volunteered to clean the windows. I have experience, I’m good at it and I want to be sure you can always see clearly when you look up towards my new home.

I have to say, the benefits that come with this position are spectacular. I have an awesome place with an breathtaking view. From this vantage point, I am able to watch over every single person that I love, all at once, no matter where they are. I am able to protect them and to comfort them and with these wings I can get to them far faster than Uber could have ever gotten me there before. I will do my best to help keep all of you out of trouble, but from what I’ve seen so far, some of you may need more watching than others. I’ve got your back just like I always have, but now, when things get tough, you’ll never be alone. I have a team of reinforcements up here that is second to none.

It was very hard for me to say goodbye to everyone that I love, but I think this will turn out to be a good place for me. Please don’t doubt that it’s going to be okay. I promise you, I am REALLY happy here. When I’m not busy with my election duties, I will stop by just to mess with you. You will know I’m around. Just watch for the signs. Hint: The number 22 was my favorite number. When you see it, that’s me. You know me well enough to know that I will come up with many other outrageous stunts to let you know when I’m there. I may use baby cows or even fluffy house cats to get the message to you, so watch them especially close.

One more thing, please don’t spend your money on a bunch of flowers for my Celebration of Life Gathering on Friday September 27th at Noon (Foundations Church in Loveland CO - 1380 Denver Avenue). Instead would you consider helping my sweet little boys out?

Sam and Nemo are going to need some things that I don’t have access to anymore. Believe it or not, Amazon Prime is not a thing up here and they don’t have banks or even any kind of debt. The first sign I saw when I arrived here said “Young Man, Your sins are forgiven”, I thought that was really cool.

If you can help, I promise that I will do my best to pay you back. Whenever I find loose change around here, I will drop it in your path. I will even drop 10’s and 20’s if I can. Always know it is me when you find them.

Keep in touch. Just talk to me. I can hear you just fine, even if you whisper. No email is necessary, and you know I never liked Facebook because of all of the “fake news” you see on there. Sorrowful memes and sad songs posted online are, no doubt, well intended, but social media doesn’t exist up here. Can I get an Amen for that?

One day, you will probably find yourself in my new neighborhood. I promise I will be there to pick you up when you arrive. But don’t hurry, please take your time. You’ve got a lot more to do here at home and I have an election to help win... and, face it, I always win!

I love each and every one of you with all of my soul, and it is everlasting!

Dakotah Castner
9/22/1993 - 9/21/2019

*Two weeks ago, I posted Dakotah’s obituary titled “A message from Dakotah”. The way it was written led some to believe that my son took his own life. He did not. Dakotah died from alcohol poisoning. He was celebrating his 26th birthday, drank an excessive amount of alcohol and didn’t wake up the next morning. This was a terrible tragic accident.

In the midst of this devastation I was faced with the unbearable task of writing his obituary. For days I was completely speechless, and I still am most of the time. On the last night that I had to write it, I sat with a pen and paper for what seemed like an eternity. I was only able to get one word on the page... OBITUARY. That one word sent me into a meltdown and nothing else would come out. This is the point where I could do nothing else but look up to Heaven and ask my son for help. At that moment, I put my pen to the paper and “A message from Dakotah” was written. It was him, whispering the words in my ear and I was simply writing what I heard him say to me. Within 30 minutes it was complete. It was surreal and something that I will never forget. Many people have asked me if I wrote it. No, I didn’t ... I simply held the pen.

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