Last Wednesday, we lost Dani (Danielle) Donner Workman.
Dani (Danielle) Donner Workman (04/06/89 - 11/13/19) was a young woman with sparkling eyes and golden hair. She was a fiercely-burning bright star in many lives — giving of herself at home and at work in the health care industry; helping her fellow human beings with an astonishing level of care and humility. In her last selfless act, Dani made the decision to be an organ donor. Still in death, as she did in life, Dani continues to give and spark joy.
This is a sad time for everyone who knew Dani, but she would be so mad if we didn’t touch on how fun-loving, spunky, and hilarious she was. She was a freakin’ delight and had a sense of humor that could make anyone giggle. Dani was a serious and talented BMX-er, along with her brother, Nick, throughout junior and high school. She loved to write and was also extremely interested in conspiracy theories. And if anybody asked why something happened, the answer was “it was aliens”.
She lived for supporting her son through everything he put his mind to and was always excited to watch him play soccer. She loved her husband and best friend, Jeremy, immensely. Their sweet dog, Nakita, was always a source of joy for her.
Having grown up in a small, but loving family on both the Donner and Johnson sides, she was ecstatic to find support and encouragement from the Workman family after meeting her husband. She loved being apart of a big family dynamic and her family members became a supportive team that saw her through thick and thin.
Dani had an out-of-this-world smile that could light up any room and such a bubbly demeanor that you couldn’t help but want to be around her. We learned so many important lessons from Dani. She was unapologetically herself and spoke openly about living with Bipolar Disorder. She wanted to do what she could to heal herself and educate the world about mental health in the process. She did this by writing her story in the book, “Beautiful Bipolar” which combined her love of writing with documenting her mental health.
Dani is survived by her husband, Jeremy, their son, Brayden, her mom, Janel Shields, her dad, Dan Donner, her stepdad, Dan Shields, her mother-in-law, Terrie Workman, her father-in-law, Cory Workman, her brother, Nick Donner, her siblings through marriage, Carrie & Cheyenne Lund, Cory Jr. Workman, Steven & Rachel Workman, her grandma, Diana Johnson, her oma, Eva Donner, her grandma, Kae Munger, her grandma-in-law, Trudy Jentzsch, her aunt and uncle, Suzanne & Eric Nikolaisen, her aunt, Jo Anne Johnson, her aunt, KaeLynn Munger, her uncle and aunt, Paul & Megan Munger, her uncle, David Munger, her cousins, Emily & Taz Nikolaisen-Quayle, five nephews, four nieces, and many cousins.
Dani is preceded in death by her grandpa, Henry J. Johnson, Jr., her opa, Seigfried Donner, her grandpa, Larry Munger, her grandpa-in-law, Raymond Jentzsch, her uncle, Jeff Johnson, and her aunt, Dagmar Donner.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you buy Brayden a book and remember Dani’s family. Donations may be made in her name to bipolar research at
https://ibpf.org/donate.