Obituary of Daniel Sokol

Dan Sokol Danny was born in upstate New York and spent a lot of his younger days hanging out with the “good old boys” who frequented his Dad’s tavern. He loved to watch horse racing and sports of all kinds and even though he was only a kid, was often called upon to “pick the favorites” for his dad’s buddies because he knew their statistics so well. Perhaps it was here that Dan developed his ability to interact so easily with people of all ages and his amazing sense of understanding, compassion, and acceptance for mankind. Dan was a gentle and kind man. He never raised his voice in anger (except perhaps with football when the ref made an “outlandish call” against his team) and he was always there to listen when needed. He had an amazing ability to find just the right words to comfort and console others in their time of need, be it friends, family, or a complete stranger. He never had a bad word to say about anyone and was first to justify someone else’s wrong-doings. When Dan moved to Florida, he made friends easily and he quickly became the storyteller and trivia king among his many friends. If you asked him the name of a song on the radio, he’d give you the title and the singer as well as who wrote the song and when. It was hard to find a subject he didn’t know something about and the stories he told, bizarre as they might be, were usually based on his own experiences in life. Dan had a passion for history and I’m fairly certain he read every word on every display of every museum he ever walked into. He constantly engaged in conversation with the tour guides, sharing stories and tid-bits of little known information. At the young age of ten, he hopped a freight train which perhaps began his love of travel. His goal was to step foot in every state in the U.S. and he accomplished that goal, as well as visiting the Caribbean, Canada, Mexico, and Ireland. Danny loved the beauty in nature and especially enjoyed hiking in the woods and sitting on mountain tops admiring God’s creation. He was an avid animal lover and tried to find a zoo in most every town we stopped in. This was an obsession he passed on to his daughter and although many times we heard, “You bring one more animal into this house and I’m leaving”, throughout the years, he became dad to animals of all kinds; dogs, cats, birds, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs, opossums, rabbits, and even a pot-bellied pig. Dan would refuse to go to the doctor for himself because “it costs too much” but never blinked an eye at the monies spent to keep these pets healthy and fed. Dan graduated from the University of Florida with a B.A. in History and a minor in English, then obtained his Master’s degree at Florida State University. He and his wife Lynn homeschooled their only daughter, Trinity, and impressed on her the importance of education. How truly proud he was when she graduated valedictorian of Saint Martin’s University in May of 2010. Dan will be remembered for many different things by many different people, but perhaps mostly for his kind heart and his wonderful sense of humor. I think he would tell each of you not to put off the things you want to do in life, but to stop and do them now. All I know of tomorrow is that the sun will rise and each new day will be filled with memories of the most wonderful person I’ve ever known. We love you Danny. You are in our hearts forever. To leave your memories of Dan or condolences for the family, please click on "View Guestbook" below.