Obituary of Morgan Stephanie Dorneker

Morgan Stephanie Dorneker was born to Gerald and Janet Dorneker on November 27, 2007 in Lexington, S.C., and died by suicide on April 15, 2020 at the age of 12 in West Columbia, S.C. She will be remembered as an energetic, loving, and inquisitive daughter and friend.  Her immense loving spirit, smile, and hugs touched so many people at such a young age.  

She loved attending Meadow Glen Elementary School and Meadow Glen Middle School, where she excelled in her classes and mastered the Chinese language. Morgan liked to spend her time reading, writing, listening to music, and being around her family and friends. She traveled to Atlanta to see "Hamilton" on Broadway with her mother, and shared her father's love of cars. Her imagination, sense of humor, creativity, and loving heart made her special to so many people. She was a fiercely competitive person, who had passion and drive for her various interests, from athletics to family games. Morgan loved playing volleyball, and worked to make her teammates and coaches proud at Intense Volleyball Club. She also trained self defense at Black Belt for Life, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at the Spartan Academy, and enjoyed competing in the sport.

Morgan had an intuitive understanding of people, and always knew when someone needed a hug or a word of encouragement. She was fearless in her desire to connect with as many people as she could, whether it was inviting someone new at the gym to play, or conversing in Chinese to the next table over at a restaurant. Morgan loves God and shared her strong faith with others.  God blessed her with a bright, loving, and joyful spirit that is impossible to forget.

In addition to her parents, Morgan is survived by her paternal grandmother, Anita Dorneker; maternal grandparents, John and Pat Wheeler and an extensive family of loving aunts, uncles, cousins, and sisters by way of love, and her Bengal cat, Shadow. She will be missed by all, including her classmates, teammates, coaches, and friends.

The Dorneker family held a private service on April 26,2020 in Lexington, SC and will gather for a Celebration of Life  service as soon as circumstances allow. Condolences can be sent to #4 Bellspring Ct., Simpsonville, SC, 29680. Additionally, a memorial fund can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/morgan-dorneker-memorial-fund.