Kiria Nebel

July 19, 2003 - April 24, 2025

Kiria Katja Nebel née Donahue died at home on April 24, 2025, in the arms of her adoring family after living for nearly six years with metastatic lung cancer. She was 21 years old. She was resolute and resilient throughout her illness and her fortitude was an inspiration. Despite her circumstances, she continued to grow as a person and blossomed into a happier and more authentic version of herself. Throughout, she maintained her sharp intellect and dry sense of humor. Kiria was born in Redwood City, California on July 19, 2003, and grew up in nearby Los Altos, attending Loyola Elementary, Blach Middle School, Mountain View High School and Foothill College. She was accepted to the University of Victoria but was unable to attend. Kiria was wickedly smart, and she knew a surprising amount about a remarkably wide range of topics, particularly enjoying her college psychology, history, and English classes and an eclectic collection of long-form video essays. Kiria was known for her empathy, compassion, and kindness and her belief in the inherent dignity and value of individuals. She deeply valued her family and close friends and took great interest in their lives. Kiria particularly enjoyed camping and backpacking with the family and visiting friends and family in the US, Canada, and France. From an early age, Kiria loved mental challenges, beginning with Lego and evolving to tabletop games and soccer management video games. She developed an encyclopedic knowledge of European soccer and was a big fan of Norwich FC. She expanded on her interests by combining them in creative ways, setting challenges for herself to solve. Kiria appreciated the mental discipline of karate, and at the time of her diagnosis, she was a few months shy of earning a black belt. Her curiosity about the world led her in many rewarding directions. Wanting to more deeply understand the themes of her favorite Japanese anime shows and strategy video games, she studied Japanese. To learn more about other cultures, she cooked a dish from more than sixty different countries whose cuisine she had never sampled. During her illness, she shared many of her interests with her immediate family. She was a patient and encouraging coach for strategy games and discovered a passion for one-on-one teaching. Her interests in psychology and languages led her to aspire toward a career as a mental health professional or an English-as-a-Second-Language teacher for adults. Kiria was predeceased by her loving grandparents Leo and Charlotte Donahue and Eva and Alex Glazer. She is survived by her adoring parents Brian Donahue and Judy Glazer and big sister Rebecca Donahue. She is also survived by her uncles and aunts Paul and Jayne, Joyce, Kevin and Joan, Jack and Rachel, John and Nandita and her cousins Erin and Chris, Jai, and Shaan, as well as the extended family and friends that meant so much to her. Those wishing to honor her memory can do so through their acceptance and kindness toward others and by supporting causes Kiria cared about, particularly The Trevor Project and Point of Pride and other organizations championing the LGBTQ community, or any organization directly supporting cancer research, such as the American Cancer Society. A private informal celebration of Kiria’s life will be held on May 17, beginning at 2 pm. For details, please contact us at brianadonahue@yahoo.com. She will be forever in our hearts.