I got a message through MySpace from a friend of mine who’s still in Vegas…
“I didn’t know how to get a hold of you any other way than this and the work email. I just wanted to let you know that Dan was in a car accident this morning and he passed away. … I’m sorry I had to tell you this way.”
A little later, I got this from another friend out there:
“I don’t know if anyone has told you yet, but Daniel was in a car accident today and he passed away. We don’t know all of the details yet, but he was driving really fast and lost control. He died on impact, so there was no suffering. But that doesn’t change the fact that he is gone. I know you were close to Daniel when you were still here and you are still a part of our family. So I wanted you to know that we lost one of our family members. I hope you are doing well.”
Dan was a good friend of mine. We worked together at my shop at Nellis AFB, and our dorm rooms were just down the hall from each other. We’d hang out, watch movies, and just pal around. On his MySpace page – http://www.myspace.com/dannykelley – the comments section has become a memorial board, and I left this message for my friend:
I just got the message telling me what happened.
Words fail me.
We shared a lot of good times. You were there when I needed someone to talk to, and I thank you for that. We didn’t always get along, didn’t always agree, but you were always there when I needed a friend.
I’ll never get a chance to see you again in this life, and that hurts me more than I thought anything could. You were always a good friend, and I have nothing but good memories of you to hold on to.
You will be missed, Dan. Godspeed.
