Daniel Gonzalo Soza

If you ask a hundred people who Daniel (“Danny”) G. Soza was, they’d all give you a different answer. An encouraging father. A dependable husband. A loyal son. A devoted brother. A cool uncle. A loving father-in-law. A faithful friend. A master mechanic. A passionate hunter. An enthusiastic fisherman. A unique individual. A storyteller. The biggest bull*!”er that ever lived. A superhero.

Over the course of Danny’s life, he was all of them. No matter the occasion, Danny always had a story to tell. Now the time has come for his family to tell a story—Danny’s life story. Read on and share it with us.

Danny was born on Christmas Eve 1942 at 6:22 a.m. at the Stork’s Nest in Tucson, AZ, as the middle child of Ernestine Vasquez and Gilbert E. Soza. Danny was a direct descendent from one of the founders of the Presidio of Tucson. He grew up in Tucson on Farmington Road with his parents and two siblings—older brother Gilbert and younger brother Anthony (“Tony”) Soza.

In his late teenage years, he met and married Elsa Marie Aguilar. During the tenure of their marriage, they had three children—Daniel, Yvonne and Mark.

Later in Danny’s life, he met and married Dorothy Tadeo Alderete, who became Dorothy T. Soza. Danny was not only a husband to Dorothy but a second father to Maria (“Jesusita”) Ortega. Danny and Dorothy shared 41 years of married life together.

Danny had a valuable combination of someone who had a love for life and a firm understanding of what was important — the simplicity of living a life with those you love. He lived life freely, choosing love and friendship over material possessions. Although he did have a strong bond with his guns, rifles and tools.

Danny had several professions throughout his lifetime—from plumbing to driving a fuel tanker for Exxon. Ultimately because of his love for cars, he became a Certified Master Mechanic working the majority of his professional career in the automotive department at K-Mart. Over the years, individuals would come up to him reminiscing how he used to repair their cars. In fact, days before Danny’s passing, a gentleman recognized him and praised him for having repaired his car over 35 years ago. In typical Danny fashion, he once again left a lasting impression.

Over the years of his life, Danny enjoyed countless hunting, camping, and fishing trips. Although he hunted various places in southern Arizona, he faithfully returned to his favorite hunting places in the Arivaca desert. He told endless fish stories about catching catfish and fighting with carp at Lyman Lake State Park.

Danny poured his heart and soul into everything he did. And if you said something couldn’t be done, he would make sure he found a way that it could. There truly wasn’t anything that Danny couldn’t do, he was innovative, artistic, resourceful, and dedicated. At home or on vacation, Danny never met a stranger. He touched lives and made it a point to make all those he encountered feel important and special. He always had your back, he gave to those in need, and he would defend and stand up for his loved ones should the need for it arise.

Danny had a wholehearted love affair with beer, hot dogs, and ice cream. Aside from hunting, camping, and fishing, he enjoyed cookouts at home with his family and friends. He especially enjoyed cooking menudo outdoors over an open flame for everyone to enjoy. He looked forward to celebrating his birthday with a fire he made in a potbelly stove in Danny’s Den while we all gathered inside telling stories, jokes and talking with each other. Often times it was so hot in Danny’s Den that we would periodically have to go outside to cool down.

He had an interest in taxidermy, so his dear friend Jesse encouraged him to take a taxidermy class through Pima Community College. That was the start of a new hobby that Danny enjoyed for many years. Other hobbies Danny liked was woodworking; most recently carving the intricate head of the U of A Wildcat Mascot. He also enjoyed drawing and painting over the span of his lifetime. And, it just wasn’t Christmas at the Soza household without his hand-drawn and painted Christmas character (often times the Grinch) on the sliding glass door. During Danny’s quiet times (which we all knew were rare occasions), he enjoyed working on and completing jigsaw puzzles in record time.

He is survived by his wife, two brothers, four children, four nephews, one niece, a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law, five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, numerous cousins, and several childhood friends.

The way Danny died was just like he lived: he paved his own way, and he wrote his own rules. He faced cancer’s life challenges with courage and with a smile.

He will be remembered for all the love he shared with his family and friends. He genuinely loved each of them—and if you knew him, you knew it. When his time came, he carried himself with dignity and strength. He was our personal hero, remaining resilient until the end. He will be missed dearly.

A memorial service will be held at South Lawn (Funeraria del Angel of South Lawn) at 5401 S. Park Avenue in Tucson, Arizona on Saturday, May 27, 2023 beginning with public visitation at 11 o’clock followed by a memorial service at noon.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your favorite charity in Danny’s honor.

A memorial service for Daniel will be held Saturday, May 27, 2023 from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Funeraria del Angel South Lawn, 5401 South Park Ave, Tucson, AZ 85706.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.funerariadelangelSL.com for the Soza family.