DAVID SOISTER MEMORIAL SERVICE RECORDING – APRIL 21, 2023 (
https://vimeo.com/824222987/ab7c95676b):
(Note: Photo Slideshow plays 2x and the formal service begins at 26 minutes.)
For more about the memorial service, see the Journal page:
https://caringbridge.org/visit/davidsoister/journal.Obituary: David Soister’s Story
David Michael Soister was welcomed home by his Heavenly Father on March 20, 2023. He is now in the presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and with his loved ones who have gone before. At age 64, he passed away at his home in Centennial, Colorado following a yearlong struggle with pancreatic cancer.
David was born on July 7, 1958, in Clovis, New Mexico. His father, David Soister of Germanic descent, and mother, Mary Mendoza of Mexican descent, met in Albuquerque, NM where David and his four siblings grew up.
He leaves behind his wife, Jacki (Evans) Soister and their daughter Hannah Soister with husband Josh Chen. He also leaves his siblings (and spouses) among whom he was the second oldest: Patricia (Dennis) Gonzales, Tina (Susan Wainwright) Soister, Paul (Samantha) Soister, and Amy (Dana) Dunlap and their respective families.
David graduated from Del Norte High School and moved to Denver, Colorado at 18 years old with a childhood friend. He worked multiple jobs which later allowed him to attend college and become the first in his family to earn an undergraduate degree. He attended the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) in Greeley, CO, earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Hispanic Studies in 1985.
After several years working as an Admissions/Academic Advisor for the University of New Mexico (UNM) in both Gallup and Albuquerque, NM (where he also served as an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship volunteer leader, 1988-1990), David found his way to Northern California in 1990 in order to attend New College Berkeley, a graduate school in Christian Studies. Prior to pursuing an MA degree in clinical counseling, David had chosen first to establish a firm foundation in his Christian faith and received a Master’s Degree in Biblical Studies in 1992.
During that time he met and married Jacki Evans. After their marriage in 1992 in Oakland, CA, they relocated to Denver and made Colorado their permanent home. Their daughter, Hannah Marie, was born in May of 1996. Prior to his passing, David and Jacki celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary and their 25th year in their home in Centennial.
In early years, the Soister family established lifelong friendships while active members of area churches, most notably Corona Presbyterian Church and Greenwood Community Church. More recently, David and Jacki became members in 2019 at Colorado Community Church.
With a calling and passion to serve others, David pursued a career in counseling by obtaining a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education from the University of Colorado at Denver (CUD) in 1997. In 1998, David joined New Life Clinics (NLC) while also launching his own private counseling practice. He incorporated as On This Earth Counseling, named for Matthew 6:10: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In the same year, David served Compassion International as their EAP provider through NLC and several years later became their part-time chaplain until 2014. In 2004, David dedicated the next 16 years of his career to Kaiser Permanente’s Mental Health Services as a licensed psychotherapist until his retirement in December of 2020. In addition, he taught in the Counseling Division at Denver Seminary as an adjunct professor, 2019-2020.
He was a passionate reader and learner with no limit of interest in style or topic. He developed close friendships as part of a men’s book club, self-named the Bookies, and was part of the group from 2000 until this past year 2022. Before his diagnosis, he was enrolled in Denver Seminary’s Spiritual Direction Certificate Program.
David was an avid runner and hiker. Along with lifelong friends, he participated in over a dozen Bolder Boulder 10K races and as many Running of the Green Races. He proudly finished both the Pikes Peak Ascent and Denver’s Mile High Marathon. He hiked over half of Colorado’s 14er mountains, many of them multiple times.
David was devoted in all of his roles: husband, father, brother, uncle, cousin, friend, counselor, chaplain, teacher, and colleague. He was generous with his time, energy, insight, wisdom, and resources. His life and legacy of love and compassion will continue to inspire all who knew him.
David loved the changing of the seasons and Jacki was at his side with his final peaceful breath on March 20th, the First Day of Spring.
Memorial Service for David Soister
Friday, April 21, 2023
1:30 PM MT
Reception immediately following
Colorado Community Church
14000 E. Jewell Ave.
Aurora, CO 80012
Please note that masks are welcome for all who are immunocompromised but are required for attendees who are unvaccinated.
We hope that many of you will join us at the service to celebrate David’s life and legacy. But for those needing to view from a distance, here is the live streaming link: David Soister Memorial Service live streaming (
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87106009018?pwd=U0VQRG13Q3QxZkdyWkNlSG1IdUw5QT09). The service will be recorded for those who cannot watch live.
In lieu of flowers or gifts, please consider donating to the following:
Habitat for Humanity David Soister Fund (
https://host.nxt.blackbaud.com/donor-form/?svcid=renxt&formId=bdd36955-13c7-4dd9-a25d-68dc18d2bc4c&envid=p-CFE6MTuJSUyk0c8SA2PWjw&zone=usa)
David Soister Memorial Fund – GoFundMe (
https://www.gofundme.com/f/david-soister)
https://caringbridge.org/visit/davidsoister/journalApril, 2022
Dearest Family & Friends,
For those who have not heard, we have some shocking, unexpected, and disheartening news about David’s health.
On April 11th, David was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer that had metastasized to his liver. Once we had the confirmed diagnosis at our Oncology consult, we spent the rest of that week in shock and adjusting to this life-changing news.
Due to the type of cancer -- a combination of a rare small cell carcinoma that exists alongside the most common type of Pancreatic “Adenocarcinoma” – the oncology team recommended two types of chemo along with an additional immunotherapy medication. While the cancer is inoperable, the chemo could reduce the size of the tumor and provide some relief from bloating and pain, and may offer some degree of prolonged life depending on how David’s body responds to the treatment.
The week of the 18th he began his first round of chemo treatments. Each cycle is one week (3 days) and two weeks off. Currently, the plan is 6 cycles, but that schedule and chemo regimen may change as the weeks progress.
A compounding issue is David also has some blood loss that has led to anemia. Blood transfusions have helped with this, but we still need this issue to abate during the chemo treatment process. We'd really appreciate your prayers for this in particular.
We are so thankful for the immediate outpouring of love and concern from our family and friends. David is feeling very strong in spirit, close to God and stable mentally. Continue to pray for his physical and emotional health as he enters into this next stage of this most unforeseen journey. Jacki, their daughter Hannah, and son-in-law Josh, all need your prayers as well as they gather their minds and hearts and plan for the upcoming months.
It is a blessing to have so many loving family and friends during such a dire time as this. We appreciate your concern but are a bit overwhelmed by all the love and care we are getting, so know that we will be posting David's health updates and the family's needs here on CaringBridge. For now, we are limiting our visitors and ask that if you have David or Jacki's direct contact information you give us space to process. We will reach out directly when we can.
Love you all so much!
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/davidsoister
