Dan has always and will continue to push me to be a better person and to pursue my dreams. Nothing can take that away.

thank you for the update, sp…. this is really shocking to all of us. what a great guy…he will be missed by all of us.

I was talking with him at the market just a couple of weeks prior. He seemed busy but enthusiastic about his new kitchen, and we talked for a bit about when he would be around for a visit. I never got the feeling that he was thinking about jumping in front of a train. Dan was such a good person. And his chocolate creations were amazing. This is sad news.

I am confused.
Did this person die by his own hand?
If so, this is a tragic event. We all must work to
provide more and better outlets for those who see no
light in their days.
This loss is incalcuable.
 
 

it’s not at all clear that this was suicide, and a lot of people’s interactions with dan seem to point against it
we’ll have to wait and see if anything more comes up, i guess

dan was one of the first friends i ever made once i started undergrad at uiuc. though we definitely grew apart, many of the quintessentially ‘college kid’ moments of freshman and sophomore year adventures involve dan in some form or other. incredibly heart-breaking to hear about his death.
 
that said, thank you so much, justine, for so concisely and eloquently describing your previous (and equally unfortunate) experience with a friend’s suicide. many people do not and/or simply cannot comprehend the elaborate extent to which suicidal people feign unpained existence; many who do commit suicide never give any indications whatsoever to family or friends.

I Met Dan when he first came to school here. I custom Built his first fixed gear.  The bike rides to the ice cream shops. The cool time chatting about the binary world.
No matter how he passed away this world will miss his sweet tooth.
 My condolences go you to his family.
 Peace and love
 

I will miss seeing Dan and buying chocolate from him tonight at Pecha Kucha. I hope they do something in his memory at the event.

@Rob, at a time like this it’s disrespectful to introduce ‘conspiracy’ into the grieving process.  Especially using simplistic pseudo-detective language that ‘something doesn’t add up.’
Many, many times there are no outward signs that someone is planning to take their own life.  The ‘cry for help’ that signals an impending suicide attempt is, sadly, not always present.  And a person’s internal strife is not always outwardly manifested, even to those closest to the person.
May this young man rest in peace, and may his family find comfort in remembering his life.
 

I met Daniel just a few months ago. He was charming and his chocolate was superb! His family, his friends, and folks who had not yet met him will suffer for this loss. My heartfelt condolences to his parents. 

@Ian: Mary Schenk is a second-rate local hack. Nothing adds up in her “timely journalism.” Thank Zeus for the Internet, where she can continue editing her articles in real time.

Memorial website for Dan at
http://rememberingdan.org/
 

We met early in the summer and spend some wonderful days together. We had plans for him to visit Australia in the winter. Our friendship was so full of promise. Six months later I still feel crushed and incredulous, robbed of the many, many happy times still to be had with my new friend. Would you have talked to me, Dan, if we had more time? Told me what was so terribly wrong inside? I’ll never know, and that hurts the most. I miss you, mate. And I promise never to forget you. 
-ash