We’ve all met that one person in our life that helped us for the better in some way. To me, dorky Daniel Nguyen is that friend.
I remember on our last trip to Big Sur, he carried a photo book and read quotes out loud to us for motivation. He recited one by Henry David Thoreau: “It’s not what you look at that matters – it’s what you see.”
I could read that same quote a thousand times, and it would still ring true. Daniel’s death on Feb. 2 is not a loss. To me, it’s a celebration of the life of a hero who saved a friend and so many others.
His impact on people’s lives is endless, and that impact is reflected in the GoFundMe fundraiser that his aunt, Connie Nguyen, created the day of his death. In two days, over $20,000 was raised to help support his family with funeral costs.
“The way Daniel touched people, even strangers, proves that there’s still people in this world with a big heart,” his mother Lan Nguyen said. “Whenever he focused on something, he focuses on it.”
When Daniel was a student at Rancho Alamitos High School, he was determined to get into the football team but was overweight. After working at McDonalds until closing time, he would continue working out at the gym, sometimes not getting home until four in the morning.
With his persistence, 23-year-old Daniel made the team and was ultimately awarded Freshman of the Year.
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Daniel’s viewing:
Friday, Feb. 12
Morning: 9am-12pm
Afternoon: 2pm-7pm
Peek Funeral Home, Room 5
7801 Bolsa Ave, Westminster, Calif. 92683
Daniel’s Mass:
Saturday, Feb. 13
6:30am -7:30am
St. Polycarp Catholic Church
8100 Chapman Ave, Stanton, Calif. 90680
Daniel’s Burial after the mass will be held at 14801 Beach Blvd, Westminster, Calif. 92683.
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“I’m really, really proud of him, I can tell you right now,” Tho Nguyen, Daniel’s father, told me. “My entire family, all of his friends, we’re all really proud of him. My wife and I just found out a lot of amazing things about what he’s done outdoors.“
And his father is right. If there was anything full of adventure, you could find Daniel involved in it. Daniel graduated Cal State Long Beach in 2015 with a Bachelor’s Degree in kinesiology, but participated in much more than class. He was active in the Outdoor Adventure, Cycling and Salsa Clubs. Sometimes together with friends, he would serenade them with his classical guitar or share long, deep talks late at night under the stars.
Daniel was always looking for a way to give back, aspiring to join the Peace Corps or Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“He’s a really nice guy, and I mean that with all my heart,” senior biology major Ariel Cruz recalled. “I know that he tries to help everyone no matter who it is, and he doesn’t like to hold grudges or have opinions of people.”
In a blog for The Outdoors Life, he wrote, “When I am at home, I want to be out in the backcountry. When I’m out there, I want to find home… All we have are our legs, backpacks, and knowledge out there, which creates a sense of majesty. Nature transforms us or at least allows us to see things from a different perspective.”
You’ve found home in the mountains, Daniel.
Tho Nguyen, left, and Lan Nguyen, right, pose in front of their son Daniel Nguyen’s alter in their home.