Natalie Stavrovsky Landau, 49, of Denver, Colorado, passed away peacefully at her home on September 14, 2021. Natalie was born on December 8, 1971. The daughter of Alex and Dita Stavrovsky, Natalie grew up in Arvada, Colorado, where she attended Pomona High School. At an early age, it was evident to all that Natalie was a gifted singer and stage performer. In high school, she was a member of Soundsensations, President of the Choir Council, and an oft-called upon student director and choreographer of the group's musical performances. She graduated from Pomona in 1990 and began her college studies in music at the United States International School in San Diego, California. She made the Dean's List each semester of her freshman year. In 1991, she transferred to the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver, winning the prestigious four-year Helen Heath Endowed Scholarship, which is awarded to a singer who demonstrates motivation, ability and discipline. Although fully engaged with her own studies, she found time to give back to her high school alma mater, assisting in the school's opera production, choreographing concerts and teaching piano. By the time she graduated from DU, Natalie was a classically trained opera singer, but with an itch for doing musicals. She performed in touring productions and had leading roles in shows such as Into the Woods, Pirates of Penzance, Annie Get Your Gun and Trouble in Tahiti. Perhaps her most memorable performances were singing the National Anthem for the Colorado Rockies, Rapids, Raptors, Colorado Special Olympics and DU Hockey.

Having enjoyed her early career in music, she moved on to the corporate world to become a Human Resources professional. She started with United Airlines, then went into hopsitality, followed by a number of years in the banking business. She finally settled into the healthcare industry where she found the mission was much more satisfying. She reached director level roles at Children's Hospital, National Jewish and Eating Recovery Center. She also was one of two directors in Denver's Civil Service Authority including for a time stepping into the role of interim Executive Director of the agency, which oversees 8,000 city employees.

Natalie's true passion was animal welfare. She volunteeted for many years at the Denver Dumb Friends League where she participated in the pilot program teaching the use of clickers to train cats. She also was a Member of the Board of Rocky Mountain Alley Cat Alliance and a consultant to the Boards of Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue and Divine Feline. When Natalie decided to take a little time off, which she rarely did, she spent a week at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, providing direct animal care. She also was mom to several dogs and cats including her Petunia who is alive and well.

Natalie learned several years ago that she had an autoimmune disorder called primary sclerosing cholangitis, a disease of the bile ducts. It is a rare condition and sadly it carries with it a high risk of bile duct cancer, or cholangiocarcinoma. This cancer is also rare and very difficult to treat and the survival rate upon onset is usually less than five years. In 2017, a tumor was discovered. She underwent a resection of the right lobe of her liver, and remained cancer-free until last June when the doctors found that the tumor had returned. Her team of doctors were hopeful that a live donor liver transplant would provide her with a real chance of a cure. However, complications arose, making transplantation no longer viable. She received radiation treatments last Summer and Fall and then started a regiment of chemotherapy. In late July, she became increasingly ill due to advance stricturing of her bile ducts. In attempting to treat what the doctors believed was an infection, they found that the cancer had returned once again, which, at this point, had spread to her liver. Natalie fought with every fiber she had; the same tenacity of purpose she had demonstrated througout her life. Sadly, she finally succumbed to the spreading cancer.

Natalie is survived by her partner of ten years, Alex Goiran, her mother and father, Dita and Alex Stavrovsky, her sister and brother-in-law, Yana and Alex Donat, and her niece, Alessandra Donat. Private burial services are planned for the family. A Celebration of Life service will be held on October 2, 2021, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., at Olinger Crown Hill Cemetery located at 7777 W. 29th Avenue, Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Friends, colleagues and loved ones are all welcomed to attend and celebrate the life of a remarkable woman who touched the hearts of everyone she met with her kindness and by her acts of love and service. For more information, feel free to call Brenna McLaughlin at Crown Hill at (720) 307-5418. Donations in memory of Natalie may be made to The Best Friends Animal Society, online at https://bestfriends.org or the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation at https://cholangiocarcinoma.org/donate.