| Graduation Year | Class of 2001 |
| Date of Passing | (unknown) |
| About | From golf courses to Spartan gear, Damian Vondra loved seeing green. Damian, a Boyne City High School and Michigan State University graduate, followed his love of the links to Austin, Texas, where he began work as an assistant superintendent of a prestigious private golf course. But Damian, 23, had barely begun his dream career when he died in a work-related accident on Tuesday, after a mere eight days on the job. “For Damian, this job was the pinnacle of his life,” said his brother, Chuck, a detective with the Charlevoix County Sheriff's Department. “This was the dream. If he had his eyes on a prize, this was the prize. He was just so honored and happy. He'd work 7 days a week, 12 hours a day, and was so happy to do it.” His new position at the Austin Golf Club was the culmination of years of determination and hard work. But at first, Chuck said, Damian's interest in golf was second to his interest in family. The youngest of Rev. Edward and Martha Vondra's seven children, six of them boys, Damian often tagged along with his older brothers when they played golf. “Obviously he enjoyed working on a golf course, but I think a lot of it, for him, was the camaraderie,” said his brother Andy, a teacher in Mason. “It didn't matter how he was playing, he could be hitting the ball really well and have great big smile on face, or he could be struggling like he's never played before, and still have the same smile on his face.” Like his brothers, Damian spent his high school years working at the Ye Nyne Olde Holles between Boyne City and Ironton. After seeing his brother, Tim, attend MSU and study crop and soil sciences, he decided to follow in his footsteps. The summer before his senior year of college, he interned at the Austin Golf Club, and the club liked him enough to keep a position for him until he graduated in May. “He was going to outwork two guys, that was his goal,” Chuck said. “I think he would have dreamed about being a superintendent, but he wanted to work his way to it, he wanted to prove he was worthy of it.” Although Damian had just moved to Austin, he had already begun making plans. He discovered a 10-acre parcel of land close to the course that he hoped to purchase and live on with his soon-to-be fiancee. He was also looking forward to working on the club's new par 3 course. Damian even ordered green and white work jackets for the grounds workers to wear, in honor of his alma mater, said his brother Shawn, a school principal in Hillsdale. Andy said he talked to Damian on the phone Monday night, and his little brother was brimming with happiness about his new job. “He was excited about learning new things and becoming a superintendent some day,” Andy said. His brothers agree that Damian was extremely goal-oriented, and while he was never a 4.0 student, he applied himself with remarkable effort. If he was passionate about something, he tackled it with unmatched enthusiasm. “I remember him being in second-grade and doing a 20 minute dissertation on dinosaurs,” Andy recalled with a laugh. “Just unprovoked, he was suddenly passionate about dinosaurs, I don't know why. But if he was interested in something and motivated to learn about it, he would go 150 percent to accomplish that.” Damian showed the same determination in any pursuit, but especially during competition. An avid game player from a young age, he was especially adept at poker. “He'd taken my gas money several times,” said Shawn with a laugh. “But you never minded losing a hand to him.” One of Chuck's favorite memories is when Damian helped the Boyne City High School football team win a huge game against Traverse City St. Francis his senior year. As the game wound down, the Ramblers were ahead of the defending state champs, and Damian was a defender with an injured leg. But that didn't stop Damian from throwing himself into the thick of things with the game on the line. With a minute left in the game, the opposing team was inside the 2 yard line, and decided to go for it on fourth down. Damian protected the goal line while blocking multiple players and helped prevent a last-minute touchdown. The play was a pivotal moment in the Boyne City football program, said coach Dave Hills. “I think that how he played the game pretty much epitomized the way he approached life,” said Hills. “I think he was a very determined young man, very confident in himself, and a kid with just a tremendous amount of character. I think in situations like that, you tend to see kids like that make big plays because that's just the type of resolve that they have.” Golf and football weren't Damian's only interests, though. His biggest passion was his family. More than anything, his brothers and friends remember him as a generous, caring person who expressed his love with small and large gestures alike. Family friend Frank Shaler, who has known the Vondra family for 20 years, said that Damian was always willing to help, whether or not he knew much about the task at hand. “He wasn't afraid to do anything,” Frank said. “He always had a smile on his face.” Sometimes lending a helping hand meant traveling across the state, and sometimes it meant traveling across the country. It didn't make a difference to Damian. He would often go long distances to visit family, even if he had to turn around and go back home the next day. “He made it to every single one of our places,” said Shawn, noting that those “places” have been located as far away as Georgia and Arizona. “He has helped on a project at every single one of our places. He helped reroof my house down in Hillsdale.” But even then, Damian found time for a little friendly competition. “We're up on roof and Damian goes and gets the lawn mower out,” Shawn continued. “He put five yard stripes in the grass so when we were done with roofing, we could play football.” For Andy, Damian's last gesture of kindness before he moved to Austin was just as random, but even more touching. “Before he left, he gave me his driver,” Andy said. “He left it in my garage in my golf bag for me. I don't know why, I just said I liked it once. It was just one of those gestures he was willing to make for people he cared about.” Damian's generosity extended outside his siblings to his brothers' and sister's spouses and children. He was a role model to his nieces and nephews, who called him “Uncle D.” Every holiday and family gathering, the kids would pile on top of Damian. He treated the children as if they were his own. “He would go out of his way to make sure he was available for those kids,” Chuck said. “He would drive across state and across country, whatever it took.” Shaler called Damian “very congenial.” Shaler went to the same church as the Vondras and watched Damian grow up. He said it was an honor to know Damian, as well as the entire family. “I can't explain how fortunate I am to have them in my life, all of them,” he said. “I'm the lucky one.” Many other community members are mourning Damian's death as well, and remember him as a friendly, approachable person. “He was a wonderful kid,” said Shirley Howie, a retired Boyne City bus driver and avid Rambler fan. “He was just a nice kid. Everybody liked him. Adults liked him and kids liked him. “He would always say ‘Hi' to you.” Boyne City mayor Eleanor Stackus agreed and said her thoughts are with the family. “Any time there is a tragedy in the community, (residents') hearts and prayers go out to them and they know they have the support of Boyne City,” she said. The Vondra family hopes to memorialize Damian by creating a scholarship fund in his honor. Contributions may be made to this fund in lieu of flowers, Shawn said. The goal is to create an ongoing endowment fund. Shawn added that they hope to award the scholarship annually to a student pursuing higher education, but who also has strong character and work ethic, like Damian did. “Damian was the kind of guy anyone would think to have as friend,” Shawn said. “He wasn't judgmental, he didn't decide what anyone else should do, or how they should do it. He was really accepting of people.” And although Damian spent most of his life looking up to his brothers, Shawn said that now, they'll be the ones trying to follow in his footsteps. “God was ready for him and he was ready,” Shawn said. “He is a model for us to think about, to look at the way he acted, and his work ethic. Now as older brothers we'll have that to look up to and emulate.” |
