Heather Danielle Snow

DENVER, COLO. — Heather Danielle Snow, formerly of Sandusky, ascended into Heaven at 3:34 a.m. on Dec. 31, 2016, in Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital in Denver, Colo., surrounded by her loved ones. Heather was 37 years old. The cause of death was Acute Myeloid Leukemia.Heather is survived by her loving parents, Gregg and Patricia (Callahan) Snow; her brothers and their wives, Mark and Amy Snow of Lyndhurst, Ohio, Michael and Angie Snow of Prairieville, La.; as well as her beloved nieces and nephews, Emilia, Sienna, Thomas, Christian and Curran. Beyond her immediate family, Heather left behind the love of her life, Justin Ranney of Denver, Colo.; many uncles, aunts, cousins and countless friends all over the country, all of whom will miss her dearly.The particulars of Heather's life are as follows:Born in Dayton in 1979, Heather went to Perkins High School and graduated with honors in 1998. She attended Penn State University and got her bachelor's degree in Operation Information Systems Management in 2002. She lived in Ohio, Virginia and New Jersey before moving and settling in Denver, Colo., in 2006. She had been working as an Implementation Consultant for the international IT firm Accenture for two years when she died.But particulars don't give us Heather Snow.From the day she was born, Heather was a dynamic, active and creative person. As a young girl, she excelled at swim team, dance, T-ball and soccer. In high school, she participated in synchronized swimming, was a member of the Drama Club, ran track, played tennis, was a "Pirette" in the marching band and played clarinet in the concert band. In college she was involved in intramural sports including water polo. While in high school she began working as a caricature and portrait artist at Cedar Point. Later, she road-tripped every summer working at amusement parks across the country — a "former carny," she was proud to say.Upon her move to Denver she took up skiing, hiking, snow shoeing, kayaking and pretty much any other outdoor sport she could find the equipment for. With her natural green thumb, Heather was a fixture in her community garden for years.Though Heather made her living in IT, she was a prolific artist. She started doing standup comedy at Denver's renowned club, Comedy Works. She performed in comedy festivals and made a TV appearance on "Standup in Stilettos." She booked Ladies Laugh-in at the Beauty Bar. Heather wrote her own blog, acted in commercials, did some modeling and built a formidable social media presence as @SixFeetofSnow. (Heather was exactly 6 feet tall.) She had thousands of fans on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.All the while, Heather collected friends and maintained and nurtured those relationships throughout her life. She excelled at bringing people together for their mutual benefit. If one friend was looking for a job, Heather would find a friend who had one to give — or do her best to find a friend who had a friend who had one. When she got sick, these friendships paid dividends in successful fundraisers that helped Heather with her bills while she battled her cancer.And battle she did. Heather fought with all her might to save the life she loved so much. Two bone marrow transplants, six rounds of chemotherapy and a bid to enter two clinical trials were part of her efforts. Throughout her illness, she maintained her kindness, sense of humor and her belief in her ability to live. Among those mourning Heather are her dedicated and talented medical team at Colorado Blood Cancer Institute in Denver. Many of them said she was their favorite patient.For those of us who knew and loved her, the gap she leaves is incalculable. Her parents, Gregg and Patty, welcome friends and family who wish to share their memories of Heather. As per her wishes, Heather was cremated and her ashes are to be scattered in some of her favorite places. There is a Life Celebration planned for her starting at 3 p.m. Feb. 19 at Comedy Works, Landmark, 5345 Landmark Place, Greenwood Village, Colo.When asked how she would like to be remembered, Heather wrote: "She truly loved people but also loved solitude. She took joy in being thoughtful toward others while never wanting anything in return."To honor Heather's memory, a donation can be made to the Dear Jack Foundation, which supports initiatives and provides programming in order to promote positive health outcomes for adolescents and young adults with cancer.