Daniel Rodriguez Jr.

Daniel was a man with many names, Monkey, Taco, Danny, but his favorites were Honey, which his loving wife affectionately called him, Dad, and Popo. There are not enough words to describe the Great man that he was. He was many things, he was a Musician, he played the organ,the saxophone, the guitar. He was the singer in a band. Music was one of his languages, and would often be found singing or humming under his breath when he thought no one as listening. If he found a song he loved, it was often on repeat, with him uttering the expression, “ Play that one more time for me, one very good....”well some of you can complete that phrase later. He was a hard worker who found pride in his manual labor. Daniel worked hard from the age of 8, he started selling watermelons on the side of the road. He worked the share crops with his father, and developed a love for growing things, he worked hey fields with his family, he was a plumber, a talented welder and fabricator, who could weld anything from a broken heart to the crack of dawn. And in his retirement, he discovered wood working, where despite his limitations, he managed to create and build beautiful pieces of furniture, and decorations. Each piece spoke to the man he was, beautiful, strong, and slightly imperfect, for they were all just a little uneven, we lovingly called it his signature mark. He would jokingly say that he was a Jack of all trades and a master of none.See, Daniel was hardworking, his work ethic was top notch, he believed is showing up early, staying late, and giving your all. Nothing was ever half way done. He knew the importance and the value of a dollar, which is why he would give you the very last dollar he had , if he thought you needed it. He was loving and stern, fair, strong, respectful, giving, and always grateful.

He taught us all valuable lessons throughout our life. As adults, we ,his children realized how amazing our Dad was, and just how lucky we were. You see, he wasn’t just our Dad, he was a father figure to many. His son said it best, “ Most people would say it takes a village to raise a child, but this one man, our Dad, raised a village.” If you were friend or family, and you were in his presence, then you were his child. He treated everyone the same, they got the same love, laughter, respect, expectations, and discipline that we did. He taught our friends how to change tires, how to handle life situations, how to give and earn respect. How to be responsible. He taught some of us how to bar b que, how to take care of things we possessed, because we were lucky to have them. But he also taught us to love life, that family was the most important thing, and that kindness and laughter were free. He was always full of joy, the life of the party, the center of the dance circle as we cheered on his James Brown dance moves. His love and laughter were contagious. He was kind and friendly, and never met a stranger. We could not go anywhere with our Dad with out him knowing someone, or getting to know someone. We often joked that he could make friends with a brick wall. And he probably did.