Daniel Darger

To some he was Daniel, others he was Dan, or Danny. Uncle Danny or Uncle Dano. Dad. That last one hits extra hard. For me, he was Danny. My best friend. My other half. The father of our children. The person I shared everything with. The person who made me want to be and do better. The person who loved and accepted me unconditionally. The person who embraced my family and all the craziness that came along with it. Danny was a very cerebral person. It was no secret that he loved anything that dealt with science, especially if it was space related. Many times at night when we’d be driving around and he’d see something in the sky he would pull up his astronomy app to identify what he was looking at and then he would launch into an explanation of what it was. He would set alarms to watch rocket launches. It was worth it to him to forgo sleep in order to be able to see it live. What many people might not know about Danny was some of his other interests. He loved art restoration, construction builds, and diorama builds. He could get lost for hours on YouTube watching this sort of content. When I would come into the room, I’d ask him to give me a quick look at the end result because I found it tedious. He found it fascinating and wanted to see every bit of nuance and detail. He wanted to analyze every little bit and see how and why things worked. He loved photographing the night sky and lightning. He would get so excited when lightning started that you had as much time to get ready as it took him to pack his camera if you wanted to go with him. There were many lightning storms watched together with only whatever blanket happened to already be in the car. Sunsets were to be enjoyed. Many people teased both of us for how many pictures we would take of a beautiful sunset. But it was great, because if we were together, everything would stop for a few minutes while we enjoyed the beauty and appreciated the moment. If we weren’t together, there were pictures going out over text. It’s the small things that matter. The most important thing to him was family and friends . It was inspiring how effortlessly he could give a hug or say 'I love you'. Many of us really struggle with this but for him it was natural. I know he was a big role model for me in this aspect and I like to think that he was for others also. It was this trait of his that I admired most. He loved taking pictures. I'd be surprised if one person reading this never saw him taking a picture. He took thousands upon thousands. Every family event he had a camera or a phone in his hand. If you were to look through them, the vast majority are selfies of him hugging a loved one or a selfie playing with one of his kids. He made friends with everyone he interacted with. I've lost count of the number of people who have told me that he was their best friend. That love was returned to him in his last days with the incredible number of people who came to see him. He told me that he knew people loved and cared for him, but not to the extent that they did. He was profoundly moved by the love he was given. I am not surprised because that is the love that he put out there and I will forever be grateful for the solace that brought to him. He was never afraid of dying. The most challenging aspect for him of fighting cancer wasn't all the horrible physical trials he faced, but the reality that he wasn't going to see his kids grow up. Even when faced with his own mortality, his biggest concern wasn't of himself. It was of my well being and the kids' well being. I am humbled by the grace with which he faced life and death. The day he left, a hole opened that will never really be filled, whether your relationship was friend, nephew, cousin, uncle, brother, son. Dad. It can not be put into words just how deeply he is missed.

Daniel Darger

November 24, 1979 - March 27, 2025