David Daniel (1945-2026)

David Daniel passed away on May 5, 2026. He was a prolific writer and a longtime contributor to this blog. He also touched the lives of many people. Remembrances from his friends Steve O’Connor, Jerry Bisantz, Jay Atkinson and Ed DeJesus have previously appeared on this site here and here. Today, Anne Whitaker, a close friend and former neighbor of Dave and his wife Stephanie, shares her thoughts on Dave and his passing.

David Daniel embraced Lowell

By Anne Whitaker

My husband Bob and I moved into a small condo in the Lamson Estate mansion at 209 Nesmith St, Lowell in the mid-1980s. The DeAngelis brothers had rehabbed the mansion into beautiful condos. The brothers told us that there was a couple moving into the unit below ours – the husband is a writer and the wife works at a college they succinctly reported.

David and Stephanie moved in at about the same time we did. Bob and I purchased and helped design our lovely condo on the 3rd floor that had been service areas and quarters for the mansion. David and Stephanie’s condo was on the second floor directly below us and had been a beautiful living area. The house provided us it’s own Lowell story and history that we all enjoyed. From that base on Nesmith we forayed out to sample Lowell’s ethnic eateries especially the Sundance on Central Street and we enjoyed the burgeoning arts scene. This was the start of our beautiful friendship – friendships plural actually.

Back to David and Lowell…David based his private eye novels in Lowell. The fictional PI Alex Rasmussen had his office on Merrimack Street across from the Lowell Sun Building. David even wrote Bob into his Alex Rasmussen books depicting Bob in his actual news photographer profession at “The Sun”. David taught at UMass Lowell as you know. He became a Jack Kerouac Writer in Residence. He was sought out as a speaker and expert interviewee on Kerouac and writing.

David and Stephanie moved to Westford, while we stayed on at the Lamson mansion for a bit longer and then moved to Chelmsford. Bob and Dave took a few creative forays into the city when they could. Whenever we got together, Lowell and “our mansion” were favorite topics.

David was constantly writing for himself or reviewing others’ manuscripts or drafts in many genres of writing. You can see from the blogs and comments how David inspired and assisted so many. Beyond writing, David’s calm demeanor, generosity, kindness and great intellect provided further inspiration. He later fired up young students’ imaginations while teaching at the Middlesex Academy Charter School.

There are others reading this who can say a lot more about David’s symbiotic relationship with Lowell. For me, David was able to bring our house, neighborhood, mills, characters, seedy parts, arts and other parts of Lowell to life. In those early years, his interpretations penetrated my psyche. Every time I went to Lowell I always thought of David and Stephanie and my husband Bob in that mansion, discovering and traipsing around Lowell and making the city our own. (Bob passed in 2019 – we had been divorced for a while.)

Now when I am in Lowell it feels like I am inside an Escher painting. The windows of “our mansion” look askew, the streets undulate and the mill buildings seem tipsy. The element that formed the city for me and meant so much is missing. There is a void. I think the city itself can feel it.

This has been about David and Lowell. Yet I feel a more personal void. My friend of 40+ years has left and I feel “a disturbance in [my] Force”. I’m a bit adrift about it and can’t put it into words well. I’m thankful David and Stephanie decided to move to 209 Nesmith Street so long ago. It was a blessing for me that they did.

I recently thought about all the writing David had left to do. He said last Fall that he had so much left to write, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to get to everything. Can a writer EVER finish everything he or she wants to write? I selfishly wish he could have finished up a few more. I will be re-reading some of my faves, and delving into more.

One thing I have already done and will continue to do is follow this directive. Perhaps you can too.

“Take your memories and make them his immortality.” From Reunion by David Daniel.