Dan was an angel. He had a heart of gold and was so caring, compassionate and loving. He like myself had a very fragile and delicate heart. He was always there for me. He was so smart, even as kids he was taking apart electronics and fixing them. Right after he graduated high school he took his dog Chester, packed his pickup truck and headed out west to Arizona. He went to school and worked two jobs. He always wanted to learn more. He took me in several times as i made my trek from Michigan. We had so many good times together, we hiked together, had barbecues, jogged with Bentley, had serious talks, listened to music, lots of laughs and practically spoke our own language. We had so many inside jokes and even sound effects and noises that only he and I understood. God I miss him. I will always hold tight to all the memories, laughs, and good times that we shared together. We always cheered each other up, if Dan was around you were smiling and laughing. He would get me out of my funks when I was down, with his positive attitude and loving spirit. My life won't be the same without you Daniel Allen Bowdell, but, I will carry on and live in your honor. Love always, your baby sister....Marianne
The purpose of the blog is to create a space for all of Dan's family, friends and loved ones to share their thoughts, messages, stories and pictures of our beloved Dan. Please take some time to contribute to this site so Dan will live on through all of us. To participate, please send any photos, memories and messages to CelebratingDanBowdell@Gmail.com.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
987 Visitors!!
Good morning to all!
Thank you again to everyone who has already submitted stuff for Dan's blog site. I cannot even begin to share how many thankful comments and joy it has brought to so many people, including myself. As much as I cry, every time I have to post something new, it's amazing to me to see how many people loved Dan so much and will carry on his memory for the rest of our lives. I just wanted to give everyone a quick update, as I was shocked when I finally looked at the traffic. 987 views. All I can say is "Wow". Please continue to send pictures and stories and it becomes bearable and we will continue to fill this site with many wonderful memories that we can all share whenever we think about our amazing Dan.
Xoxo,
Lish
Thank you again to everyone who has already submitted stuff for Dan's blog site. I cannot even begin to share how many thankful comments and joy it has brought to so many people, including myself. As much as I cry, every time I have to post something new, it's amazing to me to see how many people loved Dan so much and will carry on his memory for the rest of our lives. I just wanted to give everyone a quick update, as I was shocked when I finally looked at the traffic. 987 views. All I can say is "Wow". Please continue to send pictures and stories and it becomes bearable and we will continue to fill this site with many wonderful memories that we can all share whenever we think about our amazing Dan.
Xoxo,
Lish
Monday, July 4, 2011
Flight
Dear Dan,
I find it hard to believe that you are gone. You and I met at Nutowne when you were 21 years old and
you were sitting there watching me and another guy play pool and I finally asked you if you were going
to just sit there or were you going to play. You said you would play pool and I put your name on the
board so that you were next to play and from the moment forward we were friends.
We were in and out of each other’s lives over the next 17 years!
I remember when I was working at the Phoenician Resort and I got laid off from my job, I called you
and told you all about it. It was not even probably 30 minutes and you were over to my house and you
handed me a check for $500 dollars and told me, “You are going to need this to get by until you find
work”! I remember never being so touched at such a beautiful thing to do when I knew he could ill-
afford to do such a thing. I tried to refuse it but he insisted that he wanted to do this. A couple months
later I tried to pay him back after I had found work and he just said, “Mike it was a gift and you are my
friend, repayment was never needed or wanted”.
These are the kinds of things I remember about Dan. He was the kindest, sweetest young man I had
ever met and it pains me to even right this now without crying because I remember so many good times
together. His big hugs when you would come over to see him. His smile and laughter. Here is a little
poem I wrote for you Dan:
I will always love you Dan as my friend, my confidante and as a genuinely good human being.
Love,
Mike
Michael.klocke@cwmm.net
I find it hard to believe that you are gone. You and I met at Nutowne when you were 21 years old and
you were sitting there watching me and another guy play pool and I finally asked you if you were going
to just sit there or were you going to play. You said you would play pool and I put your name on the
board so that you were next to play and from the moment forward we were friends.
We were in and out of each other’s lives over the next 17 years!
I remember when I was working at the Phoenician Resort and I got laid off from my job, I called you
and told you all about it. It was not even probably 30 minutes and you were over to my house and you
handed me a check for $500 dollars and told me, “You are going to need this to get by until you find
work”! I remember never being so touched at such a beautiful thing to do when I knew he could ill-
afford to do such a thing. I tried to refuse it but he insisted that he wanted to do this. A couple months
later I tried to pay him back after I had found work and he just said, “Mike it was a gift and you are my
friend, repayment was never needed or wanted”.
These are the kinds of things I remember about Dan. He was the kindest, sweetest young man I had
ever met and it pains me to even right this now without crying because I remember so many good times
together. His big hugs when you would come over to see him. His smile and laughter. Here is a little
poem I wrote for you Dan:
Flight
Don't grieve for me my friends
For now I'm free and I know
I've left behind some pain.
I was longing for the heavenly skies.
Before I lost all dignity,
God helped me enter eternity.
Don't grieve for me as he has set me free
Just remember how I used to be
For I have taken flight to peace
For now I'm free and I know
I've left behind some pain.
I was longing for the heavenly skies.
Before I lost all dignity,
God helped me enter eternity.
Don't grieve for me as he has set me free
Just remember how I used to be
For I have taken flight to peace
I will always love you Dan as my friend, my confidante and as a genuinely good human being.
Love,
Mike
Michael.klocke@cwmm.net
Friday, June 3, 2011
Danny,
We have just suffered a great loss and it is incredible and truly touching to see all the great memories that everyone has shared of Dan “Danny.” He was such a sweet, kind and caring man. Danny was truly a rare gift and one of a kind. Through his struggles, it broke my heart to see him in pain, and only wish that I could have taken it all away. Though we did not share the lifetime together that we set out for, our time together was the most special and magical time of my life. Danny showed me what true love really was. To the past gentlemen of Danny’s life, we all share something very special and very unique, the gift of the love of a wonderful man that will live in our hearts forever. I truly hope that our Danny is at peace. It is just so surreal and incredibly difficult to accept that he is no longer with us.
I have written a letter to Danny, remembering our life together, and remembering him as my partner, my great love, and my best friend. Everyone should be as lucky to have found a true great love.
Danny,
From the moment we met, you have deeply impacted my life in ways I never thought possible. I will never forget the day we met at a community event. From the first glance at each other, we had an immediate chemistry. We were only able to speak to each other for a short time, but we both had the biggest smiles on our faces, and I knew from first meeting you, that you were someone very special. Though after the first time we met we did not see each other again for a few years, as life took us on different paths, I never forgot you and how incredible I felt in your presence.
A few years had gone by, and amazingly, our paths had crossed again. We both looked at each other, with the same ear to ear smiles on our faces and couldn’t take our eyes off each other. I knew from that moment we had an immediate bond and that you were going to be the greatest part of my life. I remember talking that night with you for hours, both of us wearing the biggest smiles like two giddy little boys. I felt so incredibly lucky that someone so wonderful had been brought into my life.
From that moment on, you and I began an amazing journey together. Each and every day I felt like I must have been dreaming that someone so special and so beautiful was the man that I was lucky enough to share my life with. You always had that boyish charm that was so charming. Your smile would make me melt. Every time you would walk into a room, my heart would race. Never in my life have I ever felt so much love or passion as I did with you. You took me to levels that I didn’t know were possible. It was as though we were two pieces from one unique template that were made together.
I remember our date nights, sitting outside on the tailgate of the truck eating gelato. No matter how busy we were, we always found time for our date nights for gelato, sharing with each other and talking for hours. We had so much fun trying new gelato places to find our favorite spot, and we liked them all so much, we couldn’t decide.
I remember the first moment that you said, “I Love You.” I was driving, you were sitting next to me and I was holding your hand. We were talking about how much you wanted to move to Portland to go back to school. I asked if you were sure that you wanted me to go with you. You looked at me and said, “of course I do, I love you,” I looked at you, each of us with ear to ear smiles, and I told you that I love you too. From that moment on, we knew that we would spend our lives together.
You were so thoughtful and always had a romantic gesture up your sleeve. I will always remember how I would be making dinner in the kitchen, or we would both be doing something in the house, you would walk over to me and put your arms around me and slow dance with me when our dance song would play. You always remembered me saying that particular song always made me want to slow dance with you, and so whenever it played you always made sure we did. I remember you telling me that we needed to have a song, one that was ours. You had listened to a song and you told me it is the song that makes you think of me. You even set it as your ringtone on your phone for me. So that was our song.
Though through all the great times, you were in pain, and I could feel it. As happy as we were together, I know that you silently suffered. It was the most difficult thing to experience with you, knowing that I could not take away your pain. As partners, our duty is to look after each other, and to keep each other safe. As hard as I tried, I am so very sorry, my sweet Danny, that I could not take away your pain. My heart aches with your passing, but I pray that you have found the peace that you seek. I know I will one day see you again.
Danny, my love, my partner, my best friend, you complemented my life in every way. You made me feel so alive that I could do anything. You made my life so bright and so rich with your love. Because of you, I truly am a better man. If I had it to do all over, I would not hesitate at the chance to have your love and share our lives again. You were the greatest love of my life, you are my heart. I love you so very much. You were an extraordinary man and we truly had something rare and very special. I will forever have you in my heart and will keep safe, all the wonderful memories of us.
All my love, my baby, Always.
Aubrey
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Dan, Dan the Computer Man
- Luke, Phoenix
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
To Dan From Jim
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieIIYZ5aM57k3Oq-PUcbSXk_BgWCox_ywRkH3iA9UBviASR4-nTFjAe2oAAVPMM8_SZ0qrmRUnRIn4LipZea0edAz8lv20HyCcIXCZUblo2vdwYnfc_2BKTFveV3jkT-zvIubhQZRBNhs/s1600/Jim+Dan4.jpg)
I felt something the night he left us that made me put on a piece of jewelry that I hadn't worn in a year or more. It was one that was bought with Dan the first week I met him and we each got one. I hope it was him saying something to me about our link to each other. That's how I will always see it. We had some beautiful experiences together, from Sedona to Mount Hood and I will remember each one with all the love in my heart.
Until we meet again, Daniel, I will remember you and love you. I hope you find the peace you seek.
Jim Kennedy
Portland, OR
Portland, OR
To Dan's Family and Friends and Loved ones,
My Name is Steve Uhrman. I met Dan about 8 years ago at a friends dinner party/social gathering. We didn't exhchange information at the time, but Dan reached out to me a few years later and we reconnected. Dan introduced me to Aubrey and the three of us would cook, hike, socialize and just laugh and have fun. Dan was such a caring person. He always was in a great mood and always could make me laugh. Dan and I would talk a lot on the phone. After he moved to Portland, we would talk about once a month for about 2 hours at a time. We would talk about life, school, etc. I spoke to him in March about school etc and that was the last time we spoke. Dan was my friend and I will miss him greatly. I had a few gatherings at my house for dinner parties myself and Dan and Aubrey always came. In addition, I had a small group hiking each Sunday up Camelback Mountain. I am attaching all of those pictures for you. I know that they are not the greatest quality, but I thought that you should have them. I am truly sadened about the loss of Dan. Again, I will miss him greatly.
Thank you,
Thank you,
Steve Uhrman
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)