Aubrey Nicole Douglas

Aubrey Nicole Douglas passed away suddenly on her 29th birthday, April 20, 2023. After going to sleep healthy and happy on Tuesday, April 18th, she awoke sick a few hours later, then suddenly lost consciousness due to an arterial vasospasm in her brain that ultimately led to her death. She leaves behind her husband, Coleson, and her 10-month old baby boy, Brooks.

Aubrey was born on April 20, 1994 to Randy and Norma Stewart in Wichita, Kansas. After moving to Olathe and then back to Wichita for a short time, she moved to Olathe, Kansas for good at the age of five. She loved to spend her childhood days outside, running around the neighborhood with her younger siblings, Allison and Aaron, and her friends. Aubrey was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of 11 - a genetic disease that causes mucus build up and chronic infection of the lungs. Despite her health challenges, Aubrey worked hard to stay healthy and enjoy life while attending Olathe East High School; there, Aubrey learned photography, played percussion in band, worked at the Prairie Life Fitness Center daycare, spent time with friends, and met her future husband, Coleson. After graduating, she spent a semester at KU before transferring to JCCC for the next three semesters. She spent her final two years of education at William Jewell College and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in May 2016. Soon after graduation, she started working at Commerce Bank in Human Resources and married her best friend, Coleson, on August 6, 2016 in Excelsior Springs, MO. By early 2019, it was clear Aubrey was headed toward needing a double lung transplant due to the damage done by Cystic Fibrosis over the years. She quit her job at Commerce to spend more time taking care of her health and enjoy life as best as she could with such low lung function. However, September 20, 2019, everything changed; Aubrey started a newly approved medication, Trikafta - the first medicine available to her that treated the underlying cause of CF instead of only managing the symptoms. On Trikafta, Aubrey got a new shot at life; she could breathe again; her lungs made major improvements; she was healthy enough to be pregnant… And on May 27, 2022, she got to experience her life-long dream of becoming a mom. In the remaining ten months of her life, Aubrey experienced every emotion of being a new mom to the absolute fullest. She embraced both the joy and pain of a newborn’s first year, and gave all of herself for the hope of providing an amazing life to her precious baby boy, Brooks.

In her death, Aubrey gave new life to the world. Aubrey spent much of her life wondering when she would need to be a recipient of a double lung transplant, but in her sudden death, she, instead, donated her own organs for life saving transplant. She lived a life that shined God’s light and hope for so many, loved her husband and son so deeply, and, ultimately, gave new life to the world through organ transplant.

Aubrey is survived by her husband, Coleson, and their son, Brooks; her parents, Norma and Randy Stewart, of Olathe, Kansas; her sister, Allison Stewart, with her fiancé, Powell Sornet, of Shawnee, Kansas; her brother, Aaron Stewart, with his fiancé, Alexandria Lopez, of Overland Park, Kansas; her mother- and father-in-law, Debbie and Chris Douglas, of Overland Park, Kansas; brother-in-law, Jake Douglas, with his wife, Megan Douglas, of Merriam, Kansas; brother-in-law, Sam Douglas, with his fiancé, Renee Rosinski, of Kansas City, Missouri; and her nephews, Ian, Noah, and Caleb Douglas.

A come-and-go visitation will be held 4:30-7:30pm on Saturday, May 6th, 2023 at the Overland Park Arboretum and Botanical Gardens (8909 W. 179th Street, Overland Park, KS 66013). Guests are welcome to arrive any time during the visitation, walk around the arboretum and gardens to celebrate Aubrey’s love for the outdoors, and stop by the Lakeside Amphitheater to meet with Aubrey’s loved ones and have some light refreshments. Let the admissions attendant know you are with the Aubrey Douglas visitation for free admission and directions on where to find the amphitheater in the park.

Aubrey’s funeral will be held at 1:30pm on Sunday, May 7th, 2023 at Newcomer’s White Chapel Funeral Home (6600 NE Antioch Rd, Gladstone, MO 64119).

Donations can be made to a GoFundMe in support of Brooks at https://gofund.me/6684e22a or to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at cff.org (Chapter: Kansas-Heart of America; In Memory of Aubrey Douglas; Notification: Coleson Douglas, 10300 W 131st St, Overland Park, KS 66213).