Blas Daniel Contreras

Blas Daniel Contreras arrived early and unexpectedly May 3, 1992, and recently left early and unexpectedly. He was known affectionately as Blas Daniel, Blas, Daniel, Daniel Son, Danny. His memory is a blessing and his legacy is love.

Daniel had a beautiful smile and an even better laugh. He was humble, warm and mischievous. He lit up a room. He had many dear friends, and connected easily with people. He built bridges. He was quick to lend a hand, thoughtful and kind. He was not judgmental. He never gave up on anyone.

He was funny and told captivating stories. Daniel was a philosopher; a man of few words, he nevertheless enjoyed sparring. It was no surprise he won the Speech and Debate award at graduation from Cardinal Newman High School. He was a gentleman and a scholar.

Daniel was in perpetual motion. He was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying many free-diving and scuba diving trips to the Keys and to local spots in the Palm Beaches with family and his cherished friends. Following his short adventures in Europe, Daniel enjoyed hiking and camping in Charlotte, Atlanta, and Nashville, especially with his dog and beloved companion, Spike.

Growing up, Daniel enjoyed baseball, and was a terrific catcher and batter. He remains friends with many of his teammates and coaches. He thrived in the team environment.

It was no surprise that Daniel chose civil engineering and project management as his career, graduating from the University of South Florida School of Civil Engineering in 2018. He has many close "Bull" friends. At USF, he was a leader in the ASCE and he was the USF Steel Bridge Team Captain, while also working with Pillar Construction and then Ceco Concrete Construction, all while building lifelong relationships with mentors and team members. Following graduation, Daniel joined Ceco, where he has been responsible in various roles for high-rise building structural shells throughout the Southeast U.S. He was awarded "Rookie of the Year."

Daniel worked on 8 projects in 6 years, in 7 cities in 4 states, completing 217 floors. His projects include the Savannah College of Art & Design Spring Street project in Atlanta and Centene in Charlotte with Lithko Contracting, and, with Ceco: 17th and Grand, Nashville; Luma Tower at Miami Worldcenter, Miami; 790 East Broward, Ft. Lauderdale; Channel Club, Tampa; and Akoya Boca West, Boca Raton. His dedication and hard work were admired and respected. No doubt he was exhausted. Daniel was looking forward to returning home to North Palm Beach to continue his work with Ceco in the planning and administration of various projects following topping out of the tower in Nashville in October.

Daniel's body was laid to rest at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Cemetery, following a family service at Quattlebaum Center. Our family is forever grateful to Father William D. O'Shea for presiding over the service.

Daniel always will be loved and missed by his father and mother, Blas Manuel and Bridget Berry Contreras; younger brother, Anthony Manuel Contreras, and older sister, Christina Denise Contreras (Josh Tonnesen) and nephew Landon Richard Smith; his Abuelo Blas Contreras Peralta and Abuelita Maria Contreras Amador; his Aunt Denise Kaufman and his Uncle Jeremy Berry; Aunt Katherine and Uncle Kevin Sisson and their daughter, Kaitlyn Sisson Hudlow, her husband, Levi, and their son, Lincoln; Uncle Richard Michael and Aunt Marjorie Nagy Berry, and their children, Michael Berry Jr., Beau Berry and his wife, Meredith and their children, Isla and Finn, Quinn Berry and his wife Mariana, Abigail Berry and her fiance Jordan Neeld, and Luke Berry; his Titi Miriam Contreras; Titi Marie, her husband, Jose Mendoza, and their children, Maria del Mar, Jose Andres, and Marie Alejandra; Tio Rafael and Tia Carlotta Contreras, and their children, Carla and Pablo; his Godparents, Kathie and Ernest Rovella, and their children, E.J., Kathryn, Michael and Troy; and his Goddaughter, Delilah Fretz. His spirit joins in heaven his maternal grandfather and grandmother, Richard and Adele Berry. Daniel was devoted to his family and friends, and he made each and every one of us feel special. He had that gift.

Our family is grateful to all of you who have shared memories and stories and offered your support. For those who wish to remember Daniel with a donation, please consider a donation to the USF School of Engineering Steel Bridge Club, GoFundMe Link: https://gofund.me/5b5. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared with the Contreras family by selecting "Add a Memory" at the bottom of this page.