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At age 20 years, 4 months, and 17 days, Daniel went to heaven as a result of a
car accident. He was on his way home from WVU, where he was an RA in his dorm,
and was a junior in the School of Business and Economics. He fell asleep at the wheel
with the cruise control set on 68 mph. In his trunk was his dirty laundry for
his weekend visit home. Daniel was killed instantly. Following is a tribute to
Daniel, from his mom.
The Bible says that no one is perfect in God’s eyes, but for those of you who
didn’t know Daniel well I’d like to tell you that Daniel was about as close to
perfect as anyone could be. Daniel was a very sensitive and loving son. I know
he loved his mommy and would’ve done anything for me. I relied on him for
strength and guidance so many times over the past few years. Thank you Dan for
always taking such good care of Carly & I. You were our man of the house, our
protector, and you were wise beyond your years. I’ll never forget feeling
Daniel’s arms around me hugging me telling me it was okay whenever I was feeling
badly or had a difficult situation to deal with. Daniel had a strong faith and
was not ashamed of it. His away message frequently said at the bottom
“highlight this” and when you highlighted the area, though I don’t remember the
exact wording it said something like “you couldn’t see these words before but
they were here just like we can’t see God but he is always there watching over
us”.
One thing most of you did know about Daniel was that he loved money. He held
jobs at McDonald’s, Snax, Brewer’s Alley, Isabellas, Home Depot, and a two
summer internship at National Institutes of Health. Daniel was a negotiator,
even in places like Best Buy where we would normally just pay retail; Daniel
would always come out with a free extended warranty, a free upgrade, or a gift
card. I think this was from his savvy at trading baseball cards as a kid.
Daniel knew every brand, the value of every card, and couldn’t wait to go to
Burton’s auction every week. It was hilarious to watch a child haggle with
grown men and win.
I’ll never forget the year Daniel, Carly and I spent Christmas in Hawaii
together. I told them that if we went, that was their present, and there would
be no gifts to open. On Christmas Eve, Daniel went to the hotel gift shop and
told the salesperson he wanted to buy his mother a pair of pearl earrings. They
were something like $90, and all he had was $55. He convinced the salesperson
to give them to him for $55, and was so proud to tell me when he handed me the
gift wrapped box on Christmas morning. Whatever the occasion, he loved coming
home and telling me about his deal he had gotten. His fiscal responsibility is
also what prompted him to be a Resident Assistant at WVU so he could have free
room and board to help his mommy. From hundreds of applicants, he was one of
the chosen few. He spent his money wisely and we all knew that he would become
a millionaire one day. Now he is in heaven, richer than any of us.
Daniel did go through some insecure times after his father and I divorced and as
he approached puberty. I felt judged by a lot of people when I made the
decision to send him to Massanutten Military Academy. Daniel didn’t understand
at first that I was doing it out of love, but I knew he had potential that he was
not using. And then suddenly – he flourished. He became a man. He loved the
school and wanted to go back each year and graduate from there rather than from TJ. He became an inspiration and a mentor to so many other young cadets. He
was platoon leader of Charlie Company by his senior year and had about 30 cadets
under him in younger grades. The commanders talked to him about the Naval
Academy, the Citadel and Westpoint. Daniel, now a confident man, told me “mom I
just want to go to a normal college now” and I respected his decision, knowing
he would be successful anywhere he went.
I’m glad Daniel had the chance to fall in love in his short life. Rina, you
will always hold a special place in my heart and I will always love you.
You were Daniel's constant companion since the 9th grade. And to
Beth, I know that Daniel loved you. After meeting you for the first time at
Deep Creek Lake he couldn’t wait to ask me whether or not I liked you. He
wanted my approval, and I told him that you were a lovely girl. And to
John, Tiffany, & Tommy, thanks for being such great friends - Daniel loved you
all very much.
I thought it was really cool how Daniel knew all the words to the 70s classic
songs, how he took charge of all the technology and connectivity in the house,
how cute he looked driving his convertible with his sunglasses on, how he scared
me to death on that darn motorcycle, his fitted baseball caps, his e-bay
purchases, his physical strength when he picked up a car that fell off the jack
and the tire landed on his leg, and how he told me he loved me at the end of
every phone call or online conversation.
I don’t know how I’ll fill the void that is left by not having my precious baby
boy with me. I know someday I’ll understand why this had to happen to a young
man with everything going for him. For the past few nights I’ve sat outside in
the middle of the night, asking him for a sign from heaven to show me that he
was okay and watched for a falling star or something. I haven’t seen any. Then
I realized that Daniel is a star that will never fall, and that I need to have
faith to believe what God’s word tells us, that he is perfect now.
It’s ironic that the day before Daniel’s accident the American Red Cross came to
campus, and Daniel gave blood, just as Christ gave his blood for us. Daniel,
your mommy loves you so much and I’ll see you again one day in heaven. |
