Donald Kitzinger Querna

February 23, 1945 - July 03, 2020

DONALD KITZINGER QUERNA February 23, 1945 – July 3, 2020 Donald Kitzinger “Kit” Querna died on July 3, 2020 as a result of metastatic pancreatic cancer. Kit was a devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend. A business and estate planning attorney, he spent more than four decades serving businesses and families across Spokane and the Northwest. Kit is survived by his wife of 50 years, Christie, and their three daughters Betsy Cliff, Katie Querna and Emily Strizich. He is also survived by Betsy’s husband Patrick, their sons Charlie and Gus, Emily’s husband Garrett, their daughter Simone, and another child expected this fall. He loved each of his own and his daughters’ dogs — Maggie, Jake, Franc, Dublin, Willie and Kaya — as members of his family. Kit adored watching his daughters grow into adulthood, and was so often filled with wonder by their passions and interests — especially when they diverged from his own. A mentor to many during his life, Kit thrilled at being taught about the world by family, friends and colleagues. Kit was born to Mel and Patty Querna on February 23, 1945 in Eureka, CA. Except for a few days in elementary school when he went by Donald, he was always known as Kit. Throughout his life, Kit reveled in the love of his sisters, both of whom survive him: Nancy (Chuck) Collins and Carolyn (Steve) Kanuch. Kit was a proud graduate of Roosevelt Elementary and Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane; Stanford University, where he earned a B.S. and M.B.A.; Willamette University College of Law where he earned a J.D.; and New York University School of Law, where he earned an LLM in taxation and served on faculty for one year. He also taught for many years as an adjunct professor in the Gonzaga University School of Law’s tax program. Kit was privileged to practice business, tax and estate planning law for four decades with Randall | Danskin in Spokane. Kit was always grateful for his colleagues at the firm for their confidence and collegiality, and the trust of his corporate and personal clients. Throughout his life, he retained his gift for explaining complex issues with clarity and enjoyed answering questions about intricacies of law and business. His wisdom was deep, though he always remained modest in his erudition. His humor was wry, his love encompassing, and his hug warm. Kit was at home in nature, especially in the mountains and streams of Idaho and western Montana where he and his wife, Christie, returned for annual fishing trips. He also enjoyed hiking trips with his daughters, fishing with friends, and teaching his grandchildren about the wonders of a trout stream and especially the joy of returning each fish to its watery home. In lieu of flowers, Kit’s family requests donations to the Spokane Parks Foundation or to a charity of one’s own choice. Kit’s family will hold a celebration of life in 2021.