We met Dan and his family on a road trip to meet our distant relatives back in 1961. Such a fun time! We are the McGauleys from Sault Ste Marie Ontario. As fate would have it, our daughters Jenn and Kristen Avery have moved to Revelstoke and settled there.
It was an honour to meet Dan and Louise and listen to their stories. Dan's legacy lives on in the masterful "Lost Souls of Lakewood" historical novel. He will be greatly missed.
It was always fun getting together with Dan and Louise, so many birthdays and special events we celebrated. One that Trudy remembers, I was away working, was them getting together for the Canucks 2011 run to the Stanley Cup, they all had white towels to cheer on the Canucks.
Dear Louise - Danny Boy such a huge part or our life - He was a true friend to us both But especially to Eric . The journeys they travelled together during the early years of Mela and the miles they put on their vehicles -truly a wonderful memory . I will always appreciate your generous kindness and support . I was speaking with my daughter the day of his passing and we all remember his humour and his always never ending positive attitude . Along with his infamous song -Mela Leuca Leuca ...always on ours hearts 💕💕💕 Stay strong my friend -he lived :)
Brian Moody My very sincerest condolences to the McGauley family. I cannot express my sadness at his passing. I am trying to remember when we met, and it seems as if it just always "was". Must have been in junior high school, but I'm not sure, it might have been before that as Trail was a small town. Although we didn't always keep in close touch, it seemed that we always reconnected. We both moved around quite a bit, but never in the same areas. I will always remember him for his free spirit and would be remiss if I didn't mention the parties at his parents house when they were on holidays. We also had many great times in Vancouver with plans made and never carried out. It was the planning that was important! His passing will definitely leave a hole in my heart, which is a special place for a special man.
I’m really going to miss our uncle Dan. Since I was a kid I’ve always thought of him as such a joy to be around - always uplifting the spirits of those around him, a lot like my grandma Pat. There are so many great memories to chose from but one of my personal favorites is the long discussions we would have about orbs (a spherical celestial object that would often show up photos) and ghosts. Dan was fascinated by orbs and he would quickly draw others into conversation about this mysterious phenomenon. Not surprisingly, this interest seemed to culminate while Dan and Louise were living at Blaylock’s mansion (a storied 18th century mansion just outside of Nelson B.C.) - so there were tons of cool orb and ghost stories to share. Perhaps the spookiest one was when Dan and his sister Kathleen (my mom) and her partner Phil posed for a photo in the living room of the mansion. Dan sent the photo to my mom over email and when she opened it she called him and said ‘who is the guy in the white suit in the photo?’ to which Dan replied ‘there was no guy in a while suit in the photo I sent you’! A ghost had somehow appeared in the photograph! To this day we don’t have a good explanation for what went down. But Dan had all kinds of neat ghosts stories like this and he loved telling them. I loved listening to them. He’d always be sure to mention that the ghosts weren’t scary, just taking care of some business that needed taking care of. Now that Dan has ventured to the other side, I wonder if he’s cracked the case of the man in the white suit and if he’s got any new insights on orbs. You have a special place in my heart uncle Dan, I’ll never forget you and love you always.
Louise, Dan jr, Genevieve and the McGauley family I am so sorry for your loss. I have so many wonderful memories of Danny. I will miss his wonderful smile, infectious laugh and his own special greeting “hello you beautiful people”. My thoughts and prayers are with you all ❤️. Darci Schmitz and family
HAHA! I am just having a beer after work and am thinking about the summer of '92 when I was coaching Dan Jr in Trail baseball and our crazy good team was at the PNW Regional championship in Ephrata Washington. Dan senior musta been about the age I am now. He and Dan Ashman and Guy Thompson and Dan McCarthy came into my hotel room with 60 beers. I was 20. We wound up at some shit kicker country bar where they threw me on stage "singing" Johnny Cash and Garth Brooks. Ol' Dan is grabbing and hugging me and saying "BUSKEY!!!! Your old man could fight, but he couldn't sing country tunes like you!!!" Oh man. What a moment. Such a cool guy he was!
Although Dan and I were not exclusive buddies, we did share memories with friends and family. I hold Dan in high regard, not only did he own a mansion and possess a great sense of humor he also was an awesome storyteller and a fun guy to hang out with. When Dan and I first hooked up we were introduced through his moniker ‘Dan The Man’, initially I thought this guy is full of himself, it did not take long to realize that he earned the title. I have the memory of Dan’s generosity shown me at Blaylocks when celebrating birthdays and weddings or just hanging out around the pool or better yet just playing pool. And then there were those spontaneous renditions of ‘Danny Boy’, wish I had those vocal cords. Dan’s trademark was the tongue, as if the infectious smile were not enough, he would unleash the tongue to take it over the top. It was not all fun and games, Dan was a double dipper, I am not referencing income, I kept an eye on him when around dips. Rest in peace my friend, your work is done, job well done! Hope you are surrounded by friends, enjoying a glass or two and experiencing no fruit on your burgers (personal experience we shared). Until we hook up again, your buddy Michael Michael Motorcycle
The Smith-Ballard’s send heartfelt condolences to the McGauley’s. We will always remember Dan Sr. as the super fan at Nicky and Benny’s hockey & baseball games. We will miss the McGauley super fan!!
Unfortunate loss for the McGauley family. Deepest sympathy to all of you, especially to Louise, Dan Jr, and Genevieve. An amazingly charming and infectious personality. Always proud that my Dad has been a long-time friend of a man with such character and knowledge. Each time “Danny Boy” spoke with me, he always provided advice or information delivered with warmth- never condescending or arrogant. Our world needs more people like Dan. Very sad to hear that he’s passed. Kind Regards, Evan Barry
Dan was our landlord for the building that houses the Nelson Leafs Recycling Centre. And I've known Dan over the years through other business dealings. Whenever we met over lunch and a beer, we would spend more time time talking about kids and grand kids than business. That's the kind of guy he was. He will be missed, he was one of the good ones.
Gordon Davis, Director Nelson Leafs Hockey Society
Please accept our sincere condolences on the passing of your husband, Louise, father to Dan and Genevieve and the grandchildren. Danny’s mother, my Aunt Pat was my father, Jimmy Comerford’s sister. We were always so excited to see Danny and Timmy and ...Kathleen, very affectionately called Pinky arrive in Victoria from their home in Trail. Danny was the effervescent personality, always up for a good olde Irish jig. I will miss Danny ...as I have missed Uncle Ged and Aunty Pat but there is a big celebration going on in heaven. “May the road rise up to meet him”... Margie “Comerford” Reimer and Don
Happy to have known Dan and called him friend. So happy to have spent some time with him prior to his last hospital run. He was in good humour and as always smiling! Blessed with Louise, his loving caring amazing wife and his loving devoted children and grandchildren he felt truly blessed. Is it any wonder that he was always smiling! Will miss you, S xxx
Allen and I were terribly saddened to hear of Dan’s passing. He was so amusing and jovial and we thoroughly enjoyed his company. Our sincerest condolences, Louise, to you and your children. Bless xox
Such sad news, Dan Sr was a real beauty who I connected with the first time we met. He was warm, funny and such a great story teller. How many times did he host us all at their place, knowing things might get rowdy, but he couldn't pass up the chance to be around his kids and their friends. Every time I saw Dan Sr and said hi, it never ended there, he had a way of pulling you into his space and sitting you down for a chat. I will miss that.
We remember Dan hosting all us houligans (Dan Jr and Gen’s pals) at his Blaylock’s mansion for an annual pool party. It was such good times and he was always there enjoying the party. We may have been a little too loud for the other guests and some bathing suits were not ‘classic one pieces’, but he supported us with laughs and a smile.
Our deepest condolences. We are so sorry for the loss of your Husband your Father and your Grandpa. Our heart and prayers are with you all in this time mourning. Sylvie and John Williams