Whitman Hawk Waters

March 9, 2003 — March 22, 2024

Durango, Colorado

Whitman Hawk Waters was born on March 9, 2003, in Reno, Nevada, and rarely wanted to leave the west after that. Hawk did not come into the world crying; rather, he gazed around his world with his big blue eyes and took it all in with wonder. A first child, he was soon joined by his brother Lennon and sister Sophie, his best friends from the start. His first words included dog, duck, and horse, as animals of all sorts captured his attention throughout his life.
He attended Sunnyside Elementary School in Durango, Colorado, where he formed lifelong friendships with students and staff alike. He graduated from Bayfield High School in 2021, proud of his achievements in FFA, weightlifting, and academics. After school, he put himself through the rigorous NOLS Wilderness EMT program in Lander, Wyoming. An accomplished outdoorsman, Hawk loved to camp, fly fish, snowboard, hunt, and hike with his friends. He explored the wildest back-country parts of Colorado and Wyoming, and developed a taste for long road trips. In 2023 he summered in central Virginia, working with cousins on a family farm.
Hawk lived to help people. He would wake up early on snowy mornings to rescue drivers who slid off the road, and he dug delivery drivers out of mud and snow on numerous occasions. He was the guy everyone called to jump start a car, change a tire, take care of a sick horse, or drive someone home safely.
Hawk was happiest doing ranch work. He could go seamlessly from installing drywall or flooring to corralling and vaccinating calves. He loved being on a horse or even under one, trimming hooves. While working at ranches in the Bayfield area, he was learning to rope, a challenge and opportunity that he eagerly accepted.
Hawk was a prolific reader, a talented writer, a joyful craftsman, and a lover of music from bluegrass to metal. He enjoyed working out and riding his bike, and had a passion for helping others be active and healthy. Hawk was recently accepted to multiple colleges as he debated a major in Agriculture or in Kinesiology.
He passed away at age 21 at his residence in Durango, Colorado on March 22nd.
Hawk is survived by his mother Sonnin Dahl, his stepfather Glenn Knickerbocker, his brother Lennon, his sister Sophie, his stepbrother Adam, and his stepsister Emily, as well as his father, extended family, and more friends than anyone can count. He loved his family, and we loved him. It is hard to find a picture of Hawk that does not include his family or a pet; as such, please honor his memory by donating in his name to the La Plata County Humane Society at https://lpchumanesociety.org/how-you-can-help/give/, or if you are able, by adopting a rescue animal in your area. Hawk would tell you to pet your cats, talk to your horse, and throw a frisbee for your dogs.

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Make a donation to La Plata County Humane Society in memory of Whitman Hawk Waters

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