It is with profound sorrow and deep sadness that we announce Dakota's passing on August 31 at 6:00 p.m., surrounded by his family at the St. Michael's Health Centre, Palliative Care Unit at the way too young age of 28.  He died as the result of a catastrophic brain injury suffered from a stroke. 

A Celebration of Dakota's Life will be held at CORNERSTONE FUNERAL HOME, 2825 - 32 Street South, Lethbridge, AB, on Wednesday, April 19, 2023 at 1:00 P.M. with Reverend Glenda Wert officiating. 

Our Dakota MacKenzie was born on April 19, 1994 at 1:19 p.m. - a gorgeous, perfect little boy.  We would quickly discover that he was born with serious congenital heart defects that would soon begin a lifetime of open heart surgeries, his first one being in Ann Arbor Michigan, and the rest at the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute in Edmonton. He conquered horrific hurdles and walked alone in the dark, but always came through, full of radiating light. 

He is survived by his adoring mom, Jodi-Lynn Findlay (Kortt) (Ed Williams); father Ron Findlay;  brother Dustin Findlay; grandparents Jim and Jini Rogers and numerous extended Kortt and Findlay families.  He was predeceased by his grandparents, Ray and Mildred Findlay, his uncle Wes and his grandfather Gus Kortt.  He will also be sadly missed by his beautiful jet black cats, Jasper and Harlem, whom he worshipped, and have now joined our family with open arms and will continue to be spoiled. 

Dakota was well known for his restored 1990 Toyota Supra 2JZ GTE, his pride and joy.  It would turn heads and win awards at car shows all over Alberta, including Driven, where he won Best in Class in 2017.  That car was a major project that he and his step-dad, Ed, lovingly worked on together for years. 

He loved watching basketball and hockey, and was an incredibly fast skater back in the day when he played minor hockey.   When watching games, whatever team you were rooting for, he would purposely cheer for the other, even if he didn't really like them. Besides cars, he loved food!  He made the best burgers and could turn something out of a box into a gourmet meal. The Food Network was constantly playing on his TV.  If you followed him on Instagram, he was always posting stories of what he was making and eating on a daily basis.  His dream was to go to culinary school.  He also loved music and would sing along to every song that came on the radio, word for word, no matter the genre. He mostly worked in construction and especially liked roofing as well as woodworking, enjoying the beauty of cedar, in particular. Dak also had a knack for photography. His photos were always interesting and stunning and told the story of his soul. 

Our beautiful long lashed, brown eyed Dakota grew up always seeking the next adventure, enjoying trips to Las Vegas and having the opportunity to go to Dream Racing, where he drove several exotic sports cars at lightning speed around the track. 

Dakota lived his life.  He feared absolutely nothing and lived fast and loved hard. He had a heart of pure gold. He was sensitive, determined, handsome, fun, hilarious, witty, kind, and a good friend, but he was also a spitfire and a handful!  We know he is now up in heaven, probably raising a little hell! 

Suddenly he was gone.  We knew he would leave us someday, we were just hoping for more time. It's not goodbye, it's "we will see you later".  We will miss your huge smile and tight hugs. Thank you for the memories, our sweet, sweet Dakota.  We loved you fiercely and know, without a doubt, that you are finally at peace. 

Dakota's family would like to give a heartfelt and gracious thank you to the numerous heart surgeons, ICU doctors, specialists, physio and respiratory therapists, nurses and recent palliative care doctors and staff who, over the years, and especially over the last few weeks, were relentless and caring and did their very best to give him every possible chance at life. Thank you, thank you for leaving no stone unturned. 

Cremation entrusted to Cornerstone Funeral Home. 

If you have been thinking about adding a pet to your family, please consider a rescue. Dakota always had a can of cat food in his back pack, in case he ran into a stray in his travels. Donations in memory of Dakota's love for cats to Wag-a-Muffins Rescue can be made to: donate@wag-a-muffins.com 

Please also feel free to donate to the charity of your choice, in Dakota's name.