Doniel J'Burl Whitfield

Celebration of life

December 13, 1979 ~ January 03, 2024

It was Doniel's signature look, his baseball cap on his head turned slightly to the right with a straight brim. You could see him coming a mile away with his innocuous smile.

In the late fall of 1979 in Denver, CO, at Saint Joseph's Hospital, Doniel was born to Donnie and Billetta Whitfield. He was the youngest of three children, with older sister Donnieca and brother JaDon.

Growing up in Denver's northeast Skyland neighborhood at 3475 E. 31st Ave, Doniel enjoyed the community's amenities. Doniel, his best friend Tony, and others from around the neighborhood hung out together. They played basketball and lifted weights at the YMCA across the street.

Doniel was baptized early at Loving Saints Christian Fellowship, where his uncle Kraig Burleson is pastor.

Being educated in Denver Public Schools, Doniel attended Barrett, University Park, Knight Academy Elementary, and Gove Middle School and graduated from South High School. While in school, Doniel played on the varsity teams as a freshman on the basketball and football squads. Once Doniel completed his primary education, he attended college and became passionate about accounting. Although he did not receive his degree, he could make a living with all the various factors of the accounting system.

Doniel worked for MCI and Nextel Communications as a customer service specialist for a short time. He worked for each company for about two years.

Before he returned to his true passion of accounting, working for Arrow Electronics before working 12 years at Imagistic before the company was bought out by Canon and returned to Arrow altogether, putting in 20 years of service.

Being a vast Bronco fan, he gravitated to Terrell Davis and Rod Smith on the offensive side of the ball and Steve Atwater and Von Miller on the defensive side.

As life has a way of doing so, it threw him some curves, and he lost his way for a little while; however, he returned to doing what Doniel knew best and what Doniel had been taught by the outstanding man he admired in his life. His grandfather, his father, and his uncle. He said these men knew how to care for their households, and we're overall great men. Watching them taught him how to be a man, instilling a solid worth and work ethic.

Doniel Fathered a beautiful baby girl by the name of Olivia.

He liked to travel, and two places left a lasting impression on him. He enjoyed himself the most in the Windy City of Chicago, IL. He was blown away by the deep prejudices and ugliness of Arkansas when he was around 30 years old.

He enjoyed playing billiards and poker and listening to rap music with his favorite artist, being Tupac.

Doniel wanted to share with his family and friends "Don't take any days for granted take every day as if it were your last…because you would never know. Love hard, play hard, do everything you do with everything you got in you, and make good decisions." "I wanna' say I love you all. You know how I feel about you personally."

It was a month into the winter season of 2024 when Darnell crossed that majestic river on January 03, and he said he would have a life celebration, not a funeral, not a memorial.

The heralding of Doniel J'Burl Whitfield's life for an eternity would be his daughter Olivia, parents Donnie and Billetta Whitfield, and siblings Donnieca and brother JaDon. And a host of other family and friends.

"A Million Times"

A million times we'll miss you, A million times we'll cry.

If LOVE alone could have saved you, you never would have died.

In life, we LOVED you dearly; in death, we LOVE you still.

In our Hearts, you hold a place no one can ever fill.

It broke our Hearts to lose you, yet you didn't die alone.

For a part of us went with you the day GOD called you home!