Obituary of Thomas Daniel

Thomas Earl Daniel, 63, died at his home in Gladys on Wednesday, July 14, 2010. He was for nearly 44 years the devoted husband of the love of his life, Sandra Queen Daniel, who survives him. Tom was born in Lynchburg on April 30, 1947, to Esther Hall Daniel and the late Lloyd Jake Daniel. He was a graduate of Rustburg High School and of Lynchburg College, where he was elected to the Blue Key Society in his senior year. In addition to his wife and mother, Tom is survived by two sons, David Daniel (Paula), of Spring Green, Wis., and John Daniel (Larry), of Monterey, Calif.; his dearly loved grandsons, Thomas Declan Daniel, Nicholas James Daniel and Isaac Edward Daniel, also of Spring Green; his sisters, Carolyn Bushong and Diane Davis, both of Lynchburg; brother-in-law, William Queen (Mary), of Simpsonville, S.C.; sister-in-law, Barbara Daniel, of Harrisonburg; nephews, Brian Davis, of Forest, Michael Queen, of Simpsonville, S.C., and Zachary Daniel, of Fredericksburg; niece, Sandra DuBose (Ryan), of Greenville, S.C.; and lifelong friends, Maria, West, Robert, Micah and Jimmy Waters and Dean and Kathy Hensley. Tom was predeceased by his brother, Stephen Daniel. Tom's lifelong commitment was to his community and its people. He worked with the Lynchburg Community Action Group for 27 years and was serving as Lyn-CAG's vice president and director of housing programs at the time of his death. Tom also served on the boards of directors of Rebuilding Together Lynchburg and The Association of Energy Conservation Program. Early in his life, several of Tom's teachers recognized his remarkable dramatic talent. While still in high school, Tom acted in productions at Randolph Macon Woman's College and Sweet Briar College and apprenticed at Robert Porterfield's Barter Theater in Abingdon. Following military service that included a tour of duty during the Vietnam War, Tom honed his dramatic skills as a member of the Fisherman's Players of Cape Cod under the direction of the Rev. Richard Waters. Memorable roles there include Thoreau in The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail and the Christ role in an adaptation of Khalil Gibran's Jesus, the Son of Man. Tom's portrayal of Christ was so powerful that audience members would sometimes rise from their seats and follow him to his dressing room when he exited at the end of the play. After returning home to Lynchburg with his wife and young son, Tom enrolled at Lynchburg College, where he frequently appeared on the LC stage. Memorable roles at LC include the leads in The Rainmaker and a tour-de-force performance as George in Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe?, which co-starred his wife, Sandy, as Martha. In 1974, Tom founded the Nichols Tavern Players, a theater group housed in Lynchburg's historic Nichols Tavern. On a tiny stage on which the actors performed only a few feet from the audience, Tom staged productions of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Subject Was Roses, All My Sons, and an unforgettable production of The Gin Game, in which he co-starred with his wife, Sandy. In 1986, Tom was asked to perform as Lynchburg founder John Lynch for our city's bicentennial celebration, and Tom continued to serve as John Lynch's re-enactor at special events in the city in the following years, giving his last performance at the Old City Cemetery during the celebration of its designation as a Virginia Historic Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. Tom's sons have inherited both his love of theater and his gifts. His son David is a professional actor with the renowned American Players Theater, and his son John has performed in a myriad of regional theater productions in the Monterey Bay area. Tom loved the outdoors, a love nurtured by family camping trips and participation in the Boy Scouts, in which he was a member of the Order of the Arrow. Many of Tom's happiest hours were spent with Sandy on the waters of Smith Mountain Lake, the James River and the Chesapeake Bay. An artist, a patriot, a civic leader and, above all, a devoted husband, father, grandfather, son, brother and friend, Tom Daniel was truly "a man for all seasons." Tom's family would like to thank the staff of the oncology floor at Lynchburg General Hospital and the nurses of Centra's Hospice of the Hills for their outstanding care and compassion, the Rev. Liz Ecklund for both her spiritual guidance and her friendship, and Cathy Ray and Keith Tyree for donations of their time and talents. Tom's family invites you to join in a celebration of Tom's life at 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12, 2010, in the Rustburg United Methodist Church. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Tom's name to the Greater Lynchburg Community Trust Fund, 101 Paulette Drive, Lynchburg,VA 24501. Diuguid Funeral Service-Wiggington Road Chapel, (434) 385-8900, is serving the family.