Damon Draper was born in the middle of a raging snowstorm on January 22, 1976.
Even then, he knew how to make an entrance! He was a compassionate and loving brother to his big sister Wendy, who needed extra doses of that care and compassion.
Later, he became the proud big brother of his brother Cory and his baby sister Crystal.
He graduated from Performing Arts High School in Cincinnati, where he participated in various shows and productions. He studied briefly at Fisk University, then went on to study at Full Sail University in Florida. He had a passion for music, and had the power to make it real and meaningful for others. He owned and operated his own music production studio in Florida, and created new sounds, new rhythms, new cadences for his own life and for the lives of others. And he could SING! The music group he and his friends formed, Silent Treatment, was extremely popular in the tri-state area. They even performed on national TV!
How he loved to sing! From making harmonies on toy pianos when he was a child, to operating a full-scale music studio as an adult, he knew how to create music and make others happy simply by sharing the tunes and melodies in his heart. He called them his beats, and they were—the beats of his heart.
Damon was a people person. Everybody who met him became his friend and wanted to be included in his circle of friends. He had no enemies. He was loyal and dependable and cared deeply for those relationships. He was available to them anytime that he was needed, no matter whether it was day or night.
In 2001 he married Mary Dismeaux, and from that union were born two wonderful children–Jasmine in 2002, and Landon, in 2004. He delighted in those children and gave them all his love and attention and support.
He was fascinated by fire—the colors, the heat, the magical flares of color in the night, and he often invited friends over to chill in the woods by the heat of Damon’s fire.
Two days after he passed from this earth, a brown hawk appeared on the roof of the house across the street. I’d never seen that bird before, and I haven’t seen it since. It stayed for a very long time, just watching me. Then it gently lifted off, circled a couple of times, and flew into the blue of the sky. I know that bird was Damon, letting his mom know he was flying free.
Thank you to all who have shown love and support to the family at this time. Damon would not want you to be sad. He’d want you to celebrate his spirit with joy.
Memorial Contributions on behalf of his two children, Jasmine and Landon
May be directed to https://www.gofundme.com/f/qe3hsj
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