Dan was one of the first people I met from BAFM, when I learned Thriller in Union Square in San Francisco. From our first encounter, Dan had always been friendly, welcoming, the voice of reason, and up for any wholesome fun.

In addition to the many social things we did as a BAFM group, Dan, Nagisa, and I went on two trips together, one to a lantern fest near Reno, Nevada, and one to watch the solar eclipse near Portland, Oregon. They were great travel companions since we had similar touristic interests. Dan was often open to suggestions and was considerate when we were deciding what to do next, and we packed our itinerary with so many different activities that we all enjoyed, partly because Dan would put effort into making it enjoyable for everyone.

At the lantern fest, Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" was playing, and Dan and Nagisa, while waiting to pick up their dinner at a food truck, started doing the choreo from their wedding just the year before, right next to the truck with strangers standing nearby. It was great to witness the love Dan and Nagisa had for each other and how much they didn't let an opportunity to have fun go to waste.

I am grateful to have met Dan, because he was genuinely a good friend and we had so many great memories together that I can now cherish for a long time.

I worked with Dan at Riot more or less from when he started, and then again when he joined the Teamfight Tactics team. As a creative leader he had such a perfect blend of no-nonsense firmness and directness alongside empathy and understanding, and I learned a lot from him about how to set direction and express values and priorities. He also seemed to take on Riot's player-focused culture so completely.

One of the last things Dan and I discussed in person was the hiring of a new product lead for one of the TFT initiatives. Dan was the only one who had talked to the candidate. A couple of months after Dan went on sick leave, I remember sending him a Slack message telling him how well his decision had worked out and how sound his judgment was looking. I didn't expect a reply, but I got one - just a long string of excited/happy emojis. It didn't surprise me that he was still looking at Slack, and I was really happy he got to find out how well one of his last critical decisions on the job turned out.

My name is Lucy Milans and Dan is a first-cousin of my mother, Sarah Ammons Milans.  My cousin is Abby Troy and Dan is a first-cousin of her mother, Rachel Ammons Troy. 

Cousin Dan's mother, our Great-Aunt Melissa Lorey Scheidegger, is a sister to our Grandmother, Sandy Lorey Ammons.

When I (Lucy) turned 13 in July 2022, our grandparents, Sandy (Nana) and Joe (Papa) Ammons, took Abby and me to visit San Diego and San Francisco from Virginia.  Those were the two places I picked for my 13th birthday travel trip.

Cousins Dan and Nagisa drove down from LA to meet Abby, me, Nana and Papa for a full day visit to the San Diego Zoo and then we went to to visit Del Coronado.  We had a wonderful and super fun day at the Zoo, and then met up again at the Del.  The grown-ups had drinks and snacks at the Del while Abby and I played on the beach.  It was a fabulous day with wonderful memories and we will post pictures soon.

Earlier in 2021, Dan and Nagisa visited our homes in Northern Virginia for the funeral of his grandfather, Lt. Colonel Willis Lorey (know as Papa Will), held at Arlington Cemetery.   His mother, Melissa, was one of four girls born to Willis and Nancy Lorey, and she grew up part of an Air Force family who lived in Germany for many years.   Dan's grandfather, Papa Will, fought in World War II as a 17 year-old Marine, and then served in Korea as an Air Force Officer and in Vietnam as an Air Force Lt. Colonel.  After World War II ended, Papa Will was asked to stay in Japan for another year as reparations work began. 

Cousin Dan had his grandfather's zest for life and love of travel.  Papa Will visited over 30 countries through his Air Force career, and Dan was well on his way to also exploring the world.  Dan was kind, friendly, unpretentious, flexible, witty, and so much fun.

Cousin Dan (or Danny as we sometimes called him) lives on strongly in our hearts and in our memories and as long as we breathe, he will always be a cherished part of our family.

We love you, Danny, from Lucy, Abby, Nana and Papa