Jack Gilbert Daniels

Jack Gilbert Daniels passed away on August 4, 2014 at Landmark Care Center in Yakima, Washington. Jack was born in Washington D.C. on October 6, 1931 to Gilbert Monroe Daniels and Alice Carpenter Daniels. Jack attended schools in the Washington D.C. area and later studied at both the University of Maryland and Central Washington University.

In August 1948, he entered the United States Army Security Agency and served until June 1952 as an intercept operator. Upon his discharge from the Army, he immediately began his civilian career with the Armed Forces Security Agency (AFSA). AFSA later became the National Security Agency (NSA). From 1952 until retirement in 1988, Jack held positions of increasing responsibility within the NSA. In 1969, Jack was appointed Project Manager for the development of a station for NSA in the Pacific Northwest. In 1972, he was appointed the Chief of Technical Operations of the newly built Yakima Research Station, where he served until 1977 when he was appointed the Chief of Station. He served in that position for 16 months before returning to NSA Headquarters in Fort Meade, Maryland. In June 1980, he was appointed to the position of Special United States Liaison Officer, Melbourne, Australia. In August 1983, Jack returned to Maryland to assume a Senior Executive position with a special Intelligence Community program. Jack again assumed command of the Yakima Research Station as Chief of Station in September 1985, until his retirement in 1988. During his 40 years of cryptologic experience, Jack served tours of duty in Africa, Germany, Japan and Australia. Special temporary duty assignments took him to virtually every corner of the world. He was twice awarded the National Security Agency Meritorious Civilian Service Award.

In his leisure time, our father loved hunting, fishing and traveling. He also enjoyed attending the symphony and theatre, especially in London. During his youth, he spent a lot of time around the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay areas. As his own kids grew older, Dad enjoyed taking his family fishing and crabbing for blue crab in the Chesapeake Bay. In his early youth he would often roller-skate the streets of Washington D.C., where he witnessed the swearing in of several U.S. Presidents. After his retirement, his passion was salmon fishing in the Pacific Ocean and the Buoy 10 area of the Columbia River. Aboard his boat “The Shaker,” Dad and his wife, Lavonne, spent countless days in pursuit of Chinook and Coho Salmon.

Dad’s proudest moments were his service to his country and his family. He is survived by his children: Debra (George) Schroeder of Vero Beach, Florida; Nancy (Doug) Jewett, Chris (Deanna) Daniels, and Tom (Darlene) Daniels, all of Yakima. He is also survived by his grandchildren: Daniel Schroeder, Jessica Wick, Brandon Jewett, Corinne Winterfeld, Andrea Daniels, Brendon Daniels, Justine Daniels, Dustin Daniels, and 4 great-grandchildren (with another on the way); a brother Howard “Danny” Daniels of Trenton , Florida; and his first wife and friend, Barbara Daniels of Yakima. He was preceded in death by his second wife, Lavonne Daniels, his parents, and a brother, Jimmy Daniels.

Our family would like to give special thanks to the staff at Landmark Care Center for taking such good care of our father.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Children’s Village or Yakima Valley Memorial Hospice in care of Langevin-Mussetter Funeral Home. A graveside service will be held at West Hills Memorial Park on Saturday, August 9, 2014 at 10:30 a.m. To celebrate the life of Jack and share a memory visit www.lmfuneralhome.com.