Daniel was born on June 2, 1962 at St. Mary’s Hospital in Reno, Nevada to Sharon and Dave Haerle. He was the third of four children in his loving family. He grew up living in Okinawa, Japan; Mississippi; Illinois; and California. Daniel graduated from Canyon High School in 1980.
His life story was one of humor, grit and grace. Daniel had planned to go into the military like his father and brother, but a serious motorcycle crash in 1981 left him with several broken bones in his left leg, dashing that dream. After a long recovery, he charted a new and fulfilling path, joking all the while about the fact that his left leg was now shorter than his right. He met Patrice, the woman who would become his wife, earned an associate’s degree, and began his successful career as an electrical lineman at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.
Daniel and Patrice raised four children: they had Devin, Dalaney and Daela, and they adopted Dylan.
Daniel was a true thrill-seeker. He built and raced cars, worked on pit crews and went rock crawling in his Jeep. He was also an avid outdoorsman who loved sport fishing and hunting, boating, water skiing, snow skiing, and competing in DWP lineman rodeos. Most of all, he enjoyed time with his family.
While on a camping trip in 2008, he was in another serious accident, this time on an all-terrain vehicle. He shattered the bones in his left leg and the entire right side of his face. After healing, he added a few more jokes to his repertoire about the metal hardware throughout his body. He knew how to make light of any situation, and he seemed to always beat the odds.
Daniel was a beloved and respected friend and mentor to many, in his career and in life. He had risen to the position of district superintendent at the DWP, and he had planned to retire after 37 years at the department in April 2022. He had hoped to continue teaching the trade he loved to young linemen.
He is survived by his wife, Patrice; four adult children, Devin Haerle, Dylan Haerle, Dalaney Haerle, and Daela (Jeffrey) Black; his mother and father, Sharon and Dave Haerle; his half brother, Steve Clay (Linda), his brother, David (Celina) Haerle, II.; his sisters, Dawn (Alex) Crow and D’Nell (Richard) Gibson; his sister-in-law Diane Trout; his nieces and nephews, Jeremy (Christine) Pierce, Heather (Brandon) Lowrey, Brittany (Joshua) Cadman, Alyssa Haerle, Christoph Seeliger, David (Abbey) Haerle, III, Savannah (Timothy) McCarter, Cody Gibson, Matthew (Brooke) Haerle, Tanner Gibson; and great nieces and nephews Elijah Aayon, Mia Pierce, Nash Cadman, Nolan Lowrey, Eliana Cadman, Gavin Lowrey, David Haerle, IV, and Dustin Haerle, among many other loving relatives.
The viewing service will be at Eternal Valley Memorial Park on March 8, from 4 to 8 p.m. in the Monarch Room. The memorial service, with a graveside service, is the following day, March 9 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. A reception will follow at 1840 Shadow Canyon Rd., Acton, California.
In lieu of flowers, we ask that anyone who loved or respected Dan to make a donation in his name to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital. Proceeds will go toward the purchase of medical equipment that can help to save the lives of others hospitalized with COVID-19 and other illnesses. Please donate through Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital's website: https://www.henrymayo.com/support-henry-mayo/giving-opportunities/give-now/
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.eternalvalleymortuary.com for the Haerle family.
