CENTENNIAL, Colorado — Customers at the Starbucks at East Arapahoe Road and South Forest Way in Centennial would stop in not only for coffee, but for conversation. Regulars knew that every day, they would find a friendly face in Garth Donato.
"I used to look forward to every morning coming here to the Starbucks because Garth would be in here," said Diana Rink, who came to know him because of her coffee runs.
The locals who grew accustomed to seeing him are now grieving. Donato was hit by a car and killed last week. Police said he was not in the crosswalk, and the driver stayed on the scene.
On Sunday, the community held a memorial service and candlelight walk in Donato's honor. Regulars have also been laying flowers on the chair he always sat in at Starbucks.
"The one thing that was repeated over and over and over again, was how big of a heart he had. How humble he was," Rink said. "He would put a smile on your face even if you didn’t know him."
"Tall hot chocolate, no whip, no foam," Starbucks store manager Hayley Rose said. "Every single day, every morning, he was the first customer. That was the first transaction I had on my register every day, or used to."
Alex and Aubrey Demopoulos moved into the neighborhood in 2019. They had gotten to know Donato, and have felt his presence every day since he died.
"It’s been harder than we imagined. It was so unexpected," Alex Demopoulos said. "It’s like we’ve lost the head of the community. It’s a tough adjustment."
Demopoulos began a nonprofit, Philo's Kitchen, after a conversation with Donato a few years ago. The organization collects perishable food donations from local food banks. The team then cooks the ingredients into meals and freezes them, providing the meals to those who are homeless or are in need.
Alex Demopoulos said Donato was the inspiration.
"We started it a little bit after we had met him with a lot of help from him, just in terms of insight," Alex Demopoulos said.
Community members said they had no idea how many people Donato touched throughout his lifetime. Rose received around 60 calls the day the crash happened, as people started to learn.
"I think people too always thought they were in a position of helping him," Rose said. "You always thought, 'Oh, I’m helping him,' or 'I want to get him something' or 'I want to get him gloves,' people would say. And I don’t think anybody realized that he was actually helping us."
The group plans to do an annual memorial walk to honor Donato's life. Many people at the memorial also said they plan to get involved in local nonprofits that serve the homeless community or families in need.
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