‘He’s our friend’: Community honors man hit and killed by a vehicle in Centennial

Kim Posey
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

CENTENNIAL, Colo. (KDVR) – A community in Centennial is honoring a man who was hit by a vehicle and died early Monday morning.

Multiple makeshift memorials are now set up to honor Garth Donato. The 62-year-old chose to live outside in the area for years, and much of the community embraced him.

A lake overlooking Ouray has a cracked dam. Officials are at odds on how to fix it

He was crossing the street near Arapahoe Road and South Dexter Street with his shopping cart when he was hit before sunrise on Monday.

The Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office said it was dark and snowing. Donato was not in a crosswalk and speed was not a factor. The driver stayed on scene and no charges will be filed.

Now friends are remembering Garth.

Neighbors added flowers and notes to multiple memorials on Tuesday. There’s one on Arapahoe Road and others inside the King Soopers and the Starbucks at the Arapahoe Village Shopping Center.

“He’s our friend. He’s everybody’s friend. It’s hard,” said Suzie Johnson.

Neighbors say they are crushed.

“We all loved him in a way that we can’t describe,” said Jessica Fann.

Garth’s brother told FOX31 that Garth had a condo and money, but chose to live outside. Neighbors said he routinely rejected offers of assistance, and he was the first paying customer at the Starbucks every morning.

Littleton family displaced, cat required revival after Tuesday morning fire

Hayley Rose would see him there.

“He liked being outside. He told me he said I just want to be free; I want to be outside. I told him it was the longest camping trip ever,” Rose said.

“The last thing I said to him was ‘Stay safe, it’s supposed to snow’ because we were having that storm. I said ‘I love you, Garth,'” Rose remembered.

The community is planning to gather to share stories about Garth from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday, March 31 at the Starbucks at 5070 Arapahoe Road in Centennial.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX31 Denver.