BERKELEY – Brigitte Daws (Donner), who played for the Cal women's water polo program from 1998-2002, passed away unexpectedly with her unborn son on June 3, 2020, Cal head coach Coralie Simmons said.
 
Donner was an English major at Cal who went on to earn her MBA at the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business. She had a highly successful marketing career, ultimately ending up as a vice president at Salesforce in San Francisco.
 
"Brigitte lived life at two speeds—zero and 150," former teammate Julia Cesnik said. "She didn't do anything halfway, which always meant infectious energy - and usually meant costumes, neon and glitter."
 
At Cal, Donner also acted as president of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. While building her marketing career, she continued to play water polo with many of her Cal teammates at San Francisco's Olympic Club, competing in Australia, Italy and Sweden.
 
Donner stayed close to Cal throughout her life – she was a football season-ticket holder and married fellow Cal alum Philip Daws.
 
"When I talked with Brigitte last week, she was so full of hope for the future ahead of her," fellow former teammate Brenna Fleener said. "We were reminiscing about our Cal adventures, and she was so excited to share those experiences and that same joy with her new family. We all feel so lucky to have been a part of her happiness."
 
In honor of Brigitte, the Brigitte Donner Daws Memorial Fund has been established to benefit pregnant women and their babies at the USCF Benioff Children's Hospital. Donations can be made at https://www.brigittedonnerdaws.com.