The Honorable David Watson Daniel, 52, of Wilson and Sorrento, Maine, died Friday, July 20, 2012.
The bells tolled at The Church of the Redeemer in Sorrento, Maine on July 20, 2012, honoring our beloved David and the Holy Trinity, and he was embraced by the family and friends he loved so much.
Born April 4, 1960, in Wilson, Judge Daniel received his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Wake Forest University in 1982 and 1985, respectively, serving on the Wake Forest University Law Review from 1983 to 1985. Judge Daniel was admitted to practice in North Carolina in 1985 and was a member of the bar of the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of North Carolina and the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference. In August of 1985, he joined the law firm of Sanford, Adams, McCullough & Beard in Raleigh. He clerked under North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Robert R. Browning and became a partner in the law firm of Howard, Browning, Sams, Poole, Hill & Daniel in Greenville, December of 1986. Subsequently, he served as Law Clerk to United States District Judge Malcolm J. Howard from 1988 to 1989. He returned to Raleigh in 1989, and re-joined Parker, Poe, Adams & Bernstein, L.L.P. (successor firm to Sanford, Adams, McCullough & Beard).
Judge Daniel was selected as Clerk of Court for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina in August of 1992, and served in that capacity until being appointed a United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of North Carolina in September of 2003. In 2011, he was reappointed to serve a second term as Magistrate Judge. Judge Daniel’s “mantra” in life was “make a difference,” and he did so in his role as a United States public servant, where he worked with extreme dedication, the utmost integrity, and a tireless work ethic.
Judge Daniel served in the North Carolina National Guard from 1989 to 2011, as the staff judge advocate for the 60th Troop Command. He received numerous medals and commendations including the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, and the National Guard Commendation and Achievement Medals.
Judge Daniel was a member of and Lay Reader for St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Wilson. He was also a member of The Church of the Redeemer in Sorrento, Maine, where he served on the church committee and was a trustee for the Village Improvement Association. He volunteered as the assistant coach for the Ravenscroft Junior Varsity Tennis Team and as an Assistant Scoutmaster with Boy Scouts of America, Troop 6 of Wilson. He was also a frequent and sought-after speaker at CLE programs. An avid reader, an accomplished tennis player, and a duck hunter, Judge Daniel will be remembered not only for his strength, courage, and persistence in fighting a rare form of cancer, but also for his genuine care and concern for others and his perceptive, intelligent, calm, loving, compassionate, humorous, and witty manner.
Judge Daniel was preceded in death by his father, Robert Harris Daniel.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Mitchener Daniel; and two sons, Robert Harris Daniel II and David Mitchener Daniel, all of Wilson; his mother, Mrs. Robert Harris Daniel of Greenville; sister and brother-in-law, Dr. and Mrs. John Paul Bullock Jr., of Richmond, Va., and their children: Paul and his wife, Rachel, Daniel and Eliza; and his brother and sister-in-law, Dr. and Mrs. Robert Harris Daniel Jr. of Greensboro.
A memorial service will be held Friday, Aug. 3, 2012 at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church with private interment preceding at Saint Timothy’s Episcopal Church.
A memorial service was held at The Church of the Redeemer in Sorrento, Maine July 24, 2012.
The family requests in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to: The Church of the Redeemer, P.O. Box 123, Sorrento, ME 04677; St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, 202 N. Goldsboro St., Wilson, NC 27893; or Woodberry Forest School, Woodberry Forest, VA 22989.