her husband also, and he praises her:
‘Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.’”
-Proverbs 31:28-29
On the weekend of August 29, 2015, Wendy Lou Daniel, age 63, died suddenly of a hemorrhagic stroke in her home where she had tenderly cared for her husband, Dan, who died of cancer only this June. Wendy’s life was defined by giving compassion and care to others, especially to her dear family—and this is how she spent her final days.
Born in Taber, Alberta, Wendy was the middle child of Sam and Mary Friesen. As a young girl growing up in small town Alberta, she developed a strong connection to family and tradition. Wendy relished living next door to her grandmother, Sarah Marshall. She even enjoyed the responsibilities of household chores that she and her siblings, Pat and Barry, undertook while their parents ran the local grocery store. Sam and Mary instilled in Wendy an uncompromising work ethic coupled with a strong sense of humility and a true appreciation for the joys of time spent with family. It was always painful for Wendy that she could not live closer to her family in Canada. She cherished visits with them, particularly with her aging parents. Mary’s death in 2013 and Sam’s in 2014 deeply grieved her as it did her siblings Pat (Len) Leithead and Barry (Sheila) Friesen, who both survive her.
A caregiver by disposition and by profession, Wendy spent her career as a nurse. It was during nursing school that she met and married her first husband, Joseph A. Whalley. Though the pair divorced after a few years of marriage, Wendy always said that it served a very good purpose for it gave her a first daughter, Carly. And it was working as a nurse in Edmonton that she encountered the true love of her life, Clarence A. “Dan” Daniel, her husband of thirty-five years. Dan was coaching for the Edmonton Eskimos when his friend who was staying in University Hospital introduced him to Wendy. The pair became friends at first, and slowly over time that companionship turned to love. When Dan and Wendy married in 1979, their family grew instantaneously: Wendy acquired four stepchildren, Dale, Denise, Dirk, and Darci, and Dan acquired another daughter, Carly, who he adopted shortly after he and Wendy married. In the years that followed, the couple had two daughters of their own, Chelsey and Kayla.
Over time Wendy's family continued to grow, adding to its mix a daughter-in-law, Shannon, sons-in-law, Tommy, Brandon, and Kyle, as well as four grandchildren, Jilian, Brent, Kira, and Silas. Another granddaughter, Emery Clare (her middle name is after her grandfather) is on the way in December.
Caring for others was the source of Wendy’s joy and her great strength. She did not do this simply because she was a wonderful woman—and she was—but because of her quiet, unassuming, but deep Christian faith. On Christmas, Wendy made not one, but three traditional meals, cooked everyone’s favorite desserts, and thoughtfully selected “just the right” gifts (all year long) in anticipation of the joy that it would bring those who received them. (By the way, she did this while also being sure to sing at the Christmas Eve service and make the coffee at her church). It is overwhelming to even begin to say all that she did for those that she loved. The best way that her daughters can think to express it is to say: She was always present when they needed her, without exception. Wendy’s care and love extended to all who knew her, but she spent the greatest portion of it on her family. Certainly the happiest moments of her life were spent with them.
Wendy considered her life blessed. It was filled with the reward of a meaningful career, the pleasure of family and friends, the warmth of her church, and the devotion of a truly kind and loving husband. She also encountered real hardships, which she often faced without complaint: numerous moves, long stretches when Dan was away from home coaching, financial worries that could accompany the life of a football coach, the demands of working full-time as a nurse, and in her last days, the tremendous toll of caring at home for Dan whose aggressive cancer took him in a matter of months. Her attentiveness to his needs, along with her vast compassion and tenderness for him touched all who witnessed it. When he died, Wendy was heartbroken. She had so much in her life for which she was profoundly grateful, yet her soul was at unrest. We, whom she has left behind, are devastated by the tragic loss of such a beautiful and gentle spirit. Yet we take solace now in knowing that God has reunited her with Dan. May God grant her the peace that she so richly deserves. And may He give rest to her weary soul.
A Memorial Service will be held at 1:00 P.M., Saturday, September 12, 2015 at Lake Travis United Methodist Church, 1502 N RM 620, Austin, TX 78734.
For those desiring, contributions may be made in Wendy’s memory to Lake Travis United Methodist Church http://www.ltumc.org/oc/give.
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