“Tim always made me laugh, remembers Karen D’Onofrio Zeigler. “When I was a tiny baby he made me laugh, my mom says, and he kept us laughing through life. He was goofy, silly, fun. He was the good big brother always protected me. People called him my bodyguard. When we opened the chocolate shop, he was the only one with actual food service experience. He started out cleaning and organizing, but he learned chocolate too.”

The D’Onofrio family, led by parents John and Norene, gathers around a table at Stargazer Fine Chocolates and Coffee in Denver. From hand to hand, they pass a framed photo of their beloved family member Tim, who passed away at age 40 in 2023. Tears flow freely, punctuated by laughter.

There’s a reason, now three years on, that the D’Onofrios want Tim’s story to be known beyond their close circles.

Every 15 minutes or so, a customer walks in the door to gaze at the exquisitely crafted offerings behind glass and in decorative gift boxes. At these interruptions, John jumps up to warmly greet each visitor: “This is a family business! And right here’s the family—my wife Norene and my daughters Julie and Karen.”

Fresh emotions still surge with the memories. Tim’s older sister Julie recalls, “He really embraced the role of fun uncle. He was there for every family celebration. Wrestling with the kids, he loved every minute. He was godfather to one of my sons, who would call out, “Hello godfather!” We’d all laugh at how it sounded.

Norene chimes in: “Tim lived in a musical! He would break into song and dance while working.” He drew everyone into his joy.

And, the family acknowledges, there remain much, much harder memories. John takes a deep breath, for a side of the story he also wants people to hear. “It started in high school. We started to notice some concerning things—teen struggles? But there were especially strange episodes we decided to get checked out.”

Tim’s diagnosis was very tough— schizoaffective disorder (bipolar type). It gave a framework for understanding, and the D’Onofrio family remains grateful for the skill and care of the medical staff at Porter Hospital. But the road would grow terribly rocky.

For the next two decades, Tim struggled with homelessness, job loss, and incarceration. He would find stability and peace for periods, continuing to uplift and encourage others—and make meaningful progress. Then, setbacks and heartache. The family agonized over Tim’s situation, wrestling with how to help without enabling. In an especially fruitful period, Tim became John’s right-hand man in an insurance business. Later, he became part of the Stargazer Chocolate team.

Heartbreakingly, before he turned 40, Tim suffered another setback. His longtime therapist retired, and Tim couldn’t adjust to new services. His beloved cat died. Tim disappeared for a long stretch.  “I’m not sure he ever made another full commitment to recovery,” John says. “But he did move into a Longmont apartment and got a job at iHop. We were in touch, and it seemed like maybe things might be looking up.” John begins to recount an ordinary conversation with Tim, which he never imagined would be their last.

As John becomes overwhelmed with emotions recounting that day, Norene gently continues. “We got a knock on the door. The two officers were so sensitive and kind. I couldn’t really process what they were saying. Something about the maintenance man finding Tim deceased in his apartment. I couldn’t grasp it.”

“They found drugs in his system. We didn’t know, though at times we suspected. Maybe from his times on the streets….” John’s voice trails off again. The family agrees there is no reason to think Tim intended to die that night.

John squares his shoulders and declares, “Here’s the deal. We’re people of faith. We want Tim’s legacy to be a blessing to others, down through generations. We want to help others find the kind of mental health help that allowed Tim to have so many joyful experiences and be a blessing to others during his time on earth. To that end, we have formalized “The Stargazer Family Charitable Fund.”

The family’s inaugural gift of $50,000 is to Joshua Station at Mile High Ministries, for the purpose of greatly expanding mental health services for people coming out of homelessness. Clearly, the imprint of Tim’s story is all over this generous gift.

“That’s just the start,” John enthuses. I’m asking every single person who is touched by Tim’s life and story to give toward this expansion project. If it can inspire people for the 2026 Spring Into Caring fundraising campaign, we couldn’t be more pleased. And in the years to come!”

Mile High Ministries is deeply honored to be invited into the D’Onofrio family story. We invite you to join them in giving toward this meaningful work. And we hope you can meet them at our Spring Into Caring celebration April 9… they’re very good at giving hugs.

Help us raise $150,000 for our Joshua Station families by April 9!

Please also join us and invite friends to our

Spring Into Caring Celebration Event

When: Thursday April 9, 5:15-7:00pm

Where: Mile High Ministries, 913 North Wyandot Street, Denver

What: Come enjoy hearty appetizers and beverages in a relaxed setting, with exciting program updates by staff in our Wyandot Building (located next to Joshua Station). Then we’ll go next door to Joshua Station for dessert with our wonderful residents.

RSVP by Sunday April 5:

For more information about our April 9 gathering, please call Shana at 720-756-7214.