On behalf of my parents, Judy and Steve, my brother Patrick,
and my husband Benjamin, I would like to thank you for attending today’s celebration
of the life of my brother Daniel. We
would like to thank you all for the tremendous amount of support that you
provided not only to Dan, but to us, throughout the past year. We could not
have fought so hard without all of the positive thoughts and prayers, calls and
letters, and deliveries of food to the hospital from our extended family,
friends, and coworkers. We would also like to acknowledge the staff at the Fox
Chase Cancer Center for their compassionate care. Very few hospitals would
allow a patients’ friends to throw him a birthday party after visiting hours.
When Dan was in the hospital in 2012, I tried to thank him
for being such a great inspiration to me. But before I was finished speaking he
kicked me in the stomach, despite the fact that he was restrained. I hope that
he will forgive me for sharing some memories with all of you.
Dan’s appreciation of nature and his sense of community were made stronger by family camping trips in the family church bus and his participation in Boy Scout Troop 109. He enjoyed camping, no matter how primitive the accommodations were. As an adult, he continued to support the scouts by buying packs of popcorn or boxes of cookies because he remembered how hard it was to stand out in the cold selling them himself. He also made sure to purchase poppies from Veterans for Memorial Day every year.
Dan was an honor student, and his area of interest was world
history. His idea of a light read was
the Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire and he never tired of debating current
events at the dinner table. He counted
Patton and Saving Private Ryan among his favorite movies. His study of history and military science at
Penn State was a natural extension of these interests. He was a proud member of the Penn State ROTC
program for three years. 
Dan was an athlete from a very young age. He played Ron Hopkins basketball at the Olney Recreation Center, 8 years of football for the St. Helena’s Wildcats and the Dougherty Cardinals, and wrestled for the Cardinals in the off season. Number 10 was almost always one of the smallest guys on the field or on the mat, but his coaches have said that he played with more heart than any other player. He continued to pass his skill and his talent along as a wrestling coach. Dan’s passion for games extended to non-team sports as well. He introduced the family to ladder ball and was a very competitive board game player. He loved to play poker during the Red Baron Memorial Fishing Trip, where he kept his spare change in an old gym sock to keep it safe. He was never afraid to try new things, and was able to check skydiving off his bucket list a few days before he was diagnosed with cancer for the second time.
Dan had a quick sense of humor. Very rarely could Dan find a situation where
he did not attempt to lighten the mood. One
of the ways that this sense of humor manifested itself was in his use of
nicknames, such as Shark Bait, Puddles, Splash, and Wood Nymph. He had an appreciation for Mel Brooks and
Adam Sandler. He was the life of a
party, especially a wedding reception where he could wear one of his silly hats,
dance like a lunatic, and participate in a Lauch family somersault.
Dan had a great appreciation for cooking and eating great
food. He was the first of my siblings to
embrace the Slow Cooker Sunday and he made gallons of potato soup. He was a talented barbecue chef and
especially loved cooking steak and clams.
He ate Mexican food at every opportunity. I am not sure what Dan liked more- eating
Chinese buffet, or incorporating the leftovers into an omelet, with cheese of
course.
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| Five Points Hellfish |
There were few places that Dan felt happier than when he was at the Jersey Shore. Many of his trips started with his favorite Clam Bar meal: a bowl of chowder, fried clam strips parmesan, a double order of fries, and a Coke. Dan adored the beach so much that he spent several summers as a beach tagger in Ocean City, and woe to anyone who tried to sneak past him. Dan also enjoyed family time and fishing at our Great Grandmother’s home on the bay in Stone Harbor. One weekend, he caught 5 sand sharks, 3 inner tubes, and 2 star fish, but nothing we could eat.
After looking up to his aunts and uncles for so long, Dan
was very excited to become an uncle himself when my son David was born. He nicknamed his nephew Diz before he was 2
hours old. Dan and David had a very
special relationship which included a secret handshake and a mutual love of
football, barbecue, and board games.
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| Winning the LiveSTRONG Challenge |
I have reflected a lot over the past year about the meaning
of Dan’s illness. While I will never understand
why Dan had cancer, I came to understand that my little brother had been
teaching us throughout his life. The most important lesson that Dan taught us
was that it is important to seize the day because you never know what tomorrow
will bring. He taught us that it was
important to see the humor in every situation, and if there isn’t any, to
create some of your own. He redefined
the meaning of strength for most of us in this room.
Dan, I am so proud of you.
You have been a fighter since the day that you were born and you took on
cancer like you did all other challenges in your life: with determination and
courage. You have indeed won your fight
and I know that you are at peace and without pain. I miss you more than words can say but I
promise that we will keep your stories and your lessons in our hearts always,
and that we will continue to pass them on. And that means that to me, that you
will never ever be gone.
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| Our Family in June 2013 |
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