Dan Clune
August 21, 1975- November 6, 2004
My Dearest Danny,
I remember that day in 1975 when a doctor told me that I did not have a
hormone imbalance- I was pregnant! It was very much a surprise because he
said the odds of me having children were quite slim (shows you how much he
knew). Well a few months and 7 pounds later your father drove me to the
hospital because he just thought I was making it up. He left me there to go
back to the office and then go to Stewart’s for a hamburger! Of course as you
all know when he came back all hell had broken loose. You were all entangled
in your cord (that’s why I never felt you move) and your heart rate was dropping
so you were born by c-section. I was put to sleep, thank God cause I don’t do
pain well. You were taking away by the nurses for immediate medical attention.
When I woke up the doctor told me I had a girl and she was fine! Then your
father came in and told me we had a son! It was late at night and I realized I
had this child and I had no clue as to what it was. I did not want to appear
stupid to the nurses (after all I was all of 22), so I decided to wait until morning
and see what color blanket you came wrapped in. Well, you were wrapped in
WHITE! I knew you were my son you looked exactly like your father. Eight
days later they sent us home. Your father and I did not have a clue as to what
we were doing. The first night home you slept in our room and we kept all the
lights on because we felt the lights were on in the nursery and we didn’t want
you to be afraid of the dark!
A few years later your sister was born and you loved her so much you brought
her in for show and tell one week. Sixteen months later your brother was born
and he instantly became your best friend. You always included him in all the
things you did, and knowing he had no fears, you always got him to try out the
crazy stunts first.
When you were about 6 you asked me if you could play baseball and tap
dance. Yes I know most of you reading this did not know that at about 9 years
old Danny won a national tap dancing competition in Washington D.C., dancing
to “Top Hat White Tie and Tails”. That probably was one of the few times he
wore a tux.
In 1984 all our lives changed we bought the beach house in Pt. Pleasant. That
is when you met Michael Manzulli and the gang. Everything changed from
your hairdo to your interests. It was no more dancing. It was skateborading,
skimboarding and surfing. Around that time you also found your other passion
hockey.
After that the years seem to whiz by broken up by summers at the beach and
hockey and broken bones. Before I knew it you were leaving for Boston College.
I cried so hard that day we dropped you off. I knew than my little boy was gone
and in his place there was a man. You made life long friends there and of
Danny,
You were the person that made me laugh after everything that made me sad.
You were the one I would call if I needed to understand the obscure.
You were the one I turned to when I needed to feel most understood.
I’ve had few best friends in this world who really understood me without saying
a word. I love how you did everything you wanted to do in life. Sometimes I
would feel like you were going to get an ulcer from doing too many things but
you would just say, ”Stop worrying. This makes me happy.” When you would
look at me and smile and tell me, ”Oh Kendall Thank You!” I knew inside your
head you were thanking me for being your best friend. And I would look at you
and say ,” Dude, thank you!”
Do you remember how we used to sit on my floor and share our music with
each other for hours. How you would sit there so patiently listening to my Tori
Amos fanatic girl obsession not to mention our disco solo dance parties. We
laughed about that later, but we still had our dance parties to music that made
our souls tickle. I’m glad we danced that last day. Our friendship spoke its
history through songs and words and that is how I will always find you.
I will find you when the air brushes my hair the trees shake their leaves to the
ground like a dance. I will find you when I snowboard down our hill right behind
you as I always was. I will find you when I hear a song I can picture you
closing your eyes to and grooving your head in a circular motion. I already feel
you all around me.
You have been the one constant in my life. You have been the one person that
knew all of my phases by story or experience. You were the person who would
let me embarrass them by boasting about your Def Leopard loving baby-sitter
and break dance career. You were modest, and the person who would say the
least in a large crowd but absorb it all. I know that you haven’t left me. I know
that we are still best friends. I know that every new birth on this planet I will
look for you.
I can never replace what we have had together and I can never accept that it
is gone. It has just changed forms and I will have to learn to listen to you in
another way. You are my favorite person, someone so close to me I have
appointed my brother. You are my memories and my interests. You are my life
and my stories. You are the person I will always turn to. You are my heart and
you are my conscious. To me you will always be found in a song. Music was
what you lived your life by. I hear you right now.
You are with me forever,
~ Kendall
Phish, Phish, Phish..
When they were playing in New York one year all he would talk to me about
was how much fun he had going to their concerts. They were playing in the
Garden in the late 90’s , seemed like yesterday. So I surprised him and scalped
tickets and rented us a limo and tried to do it Joe style. Well, after I told him
what I did, he just put his hand on his head and started to give me a lecture
how I just broke every Phish rule. I don’t know, I loved my Danny and know he
loved Phish, so I got us front row seats figured better not to drink and drive,
rented us a limo.. He was so mad at me, funny mad, as he told he that scalpers are bad for Phish concerts as the ticket prices will go up. SO when we get
to the concert Danny starts networking with his Phish buddies and it just cracks
me up how I still hear him yelling what I had done was “all wrong”. BUT, Danny
was sure to plug into the public microphones that were right next to our seats
and then seemed to let me off the hook. I still remember that funny smell in the
air that I remembered a bit in College.
2003 Yankees/Boston Game 7
The 2003 Yankees/Boston Game 7 playoffs where things worked out right for
the Yankees, Danny was the only law-abiding citizen kind of. We were walking towards the stadium looking to throw out our empty beers as we just got off
the Manhattan/Bronx ferry. Somehow Danny either had esp or was setting up
the other Danny in our group. He gave his empty to Danny a few seconds
before the NYPD swooped upon our misdemeanor of carrying empty beer
cans in paper bags in public, I know very classy people (at least they were
Fosters). Well Danny was just making faces and laughing at us as I was busy
squirming and showing my deck of pba cards to get out of harms way. He was
very prepared to leave us. But he cared to know if we were going to get arrested if he could have the other 3 tickets. REAL NICE DANNY !!!!
Dude
He was known as Dude for some mysterious reason around some of my more
comical clients. He evolved from Kid to Dude as he aged a bit. Dude was
someone who would calmly do his computer thing and make things work. As
some of my clients are a bit demanding, Danny had a presentation that made
some narrow minded people a bit suspicious of his abilities.
In my own commanding way I would
just shut up any doubt by just saying
IT’S DUDE !!, he will fix it... and of
course he did and of course anyone
that doubted the book by its cover
eventually let me know how wrong
they were.
~ Joe Korman
course your phish phase was in full swing by then. I remember one Christmas
you gave me Phish tapes as a gift because you felt I was ready. I regret not
going with you to a concert, but as a told you then I didn’t think I could handle
6 hours of anybody’s music. I did however, attend Jerry Garcias last concert at
Giants Stadium that was close enough for me. Afterall your father spent 8
hundred dollars in the parking lot buying tents and t-shirts and things.
It was around then I started writing your address in my book in pencil because
you moved around so much. I loved visiting all the new apartments and when
you moved to Idaho I knew I had to go there to see if it was a good place for
you. I truly felt it was. It was a quiet little town and I know you could snow
board there in the winter. I felt that was a good spot for you for a little while.
As I sit here this morning writing this and crying I want you to know many
things (really too many to write), but here are some. I still wear the earrings
you gave me that Christmas 3 years ago I have never taken them off since
then and I never will. I start every day and end every night thinking of you and
that will never change I will miss you and love you everyday of my life. I know
you are with Grandpa and Kevin building something special. Someday we will
all be together and I will finally get that hug I so desperately need.
All MY Love Always, Mom XOX
Danny was born on August 21, 1975 .
I was 25 years old and didn’t even believe Joan was pregnant. I dropped her off at
Freehold Area Hospital that afternoon and went back to work.
When I returned to the hospital a few hours later I finally realized I was going to be
a father. Joan was in the labor room, her hair standing up, face red as a tomato.
She was doing her breathing that we practiced in lamaz classes. Doctors and
nurses were coming and going. Danny’s heart rate would drop each time Joan
had a contraction. I didn’t have a clue what was happening. The next thing I knew
they said I had to leave because they needed to do an emergency C-section.
Everything was a blur for a while and then they called me into a room and showed
me my little baby son. He looked like a little, tiny me. It was the happiest day in my
life. I just stared at him without blinking. I can remember that day like it was
yesterday...
Time just flew by.
I remember him wearing his “under roos” Batman, Superman, The Hulk and all
with matching capes. His sister was born and then what seemed just a few more
months his brother was born. What a beautiful life the Clune family was having.
The next thing I know he’s leaving for Boston College . How can my baby live
somewhere else? But Joan and I are so proud of him. Worried about him being so
far from home, but knowing this is the first step to leave the nest. He graduated in
the blink of an eye and...
WOW! He is a computer genius!
He had a great job with PC Visions and then ExceedCommerce.com. During the
9-11 tragedy, Dan was working for Exceed in NYC. It shook him quite a bit. His
company closed up and he decided to regroup and check out other possibilities.
He went to Sandpoint , ID to visit a friend. It’s a beautiful place. The next thing I
know he has a job with BookCrossings.com and is moving away, even further
from his nest.
Joan and I traveled to Sandpoint last July just to help him settle in and make sure
it was a nice place to live. We both left feeling he had indeed found a beautiful
place to live. We were looking forward to summer visits with our son in Sandpoint
, ID.
Now suddenly he is gone.
I miss him more than anyone could ever imagine. I’ll always have my memories,,
our Super Bowl trip to California , Disneyworld trips, fishing for Northern Pike and
Walleye in Canada , all those Ice Hockey games with the Old Bridge Wings. He
was my Giants Fan partner, “Go BIG BLUE!” he would scream.
I thank everyone for all the love and prayers I’ve received since that horrible day
in November. As long as I live, Danny is just as alive to me as ever.
~Harry
I don’t remember exactly when I met Danny but I don’t remember a summer at
the beach without him. The best beach memories I have of my summers in
Point were with Danny and the rest of our beach gang. We had freedoms at
12 and 13 that most kids never have – our parents knew where we were and
pretty much what we were doing but we felt like we owned the beach! We
spent our days on the beach and our nights up the boards and when we were
done up the boardwalk we were hanging out up “at the top” under the boardwalk.
I remember the Cluney Bin before it was remodeled. We left after one summer
and returned the next and the Clune’s had added another story. I think it was
around Memorial Day when Danny came and got all of us to come and see the
new house. He was so excited and proud of his new house. As we walked
down the boardwalk to the Cluney Bin, Danny was telling us about all of the
details, just beaming from ear to ear. He told us about his room, the living
room and about the view from his parent’s balcony. Danny also boasted that
his parents had installed a water fountain in their bathroom. We were all amazed
and couldn’t wait to see. We thought it was the coolest thing in the world!
When we got to the house Danny took us on a meticulous tour of every single
room. You would have thought that Danny had built the house himself. I
remember walking through every single room and Danny pointing out all of the
details. Our tour wound its way upstairs and our anticipation grew. We were
so excited to see the water fountain! We walked into the master bathroom and
there it was. It didn’t look like any other water fountain I had ever seen but I
wasn’t going to say anything. Danny was showing us how it worked when our
friend Jessica stepped up and said “Danny, that’s not a water fountain, it’s a
Bidet!”
~ Kara Lashley
I first saw Danny when he was driving by in
Mike Manzulli’s car in Portland in September
1999. I was meeting up with Mike to go to class
when Danny told me that he was taking a drive
up to Mt. Hood for the day. I decided to skip
class and go up to the mountain with him. It
was such a beautiful day and who wanted to sit
in another boring class. It was an awesome
drive and when we got up to the mountain, we
decided to talk a hike up this 11,000 feet beauty.
It was sunny, but there was a ton of snow up
there. We just kept on going until we got to about 8,000 feet. Danny was
loving it. It was such a sight to see, especially since he was living in NYC at
Danny and I met a couple years ago when I was
living in Park Slope, Brooklyn. (I currently live in
Berkeley, California where you are all invited upon
a minute’s notice). My former roommates knew
Danny and introduced us as we were both really
into Phish and I had just moved to New York and
was looking to meet new friends.
I hit it off with Danny right away- who didn’t? As
he was simply the nicest and most genuine
hearted person. I felt as we were driving in his
car (the black passat- I think it was a passat)
through Jersey on February 25, 2003 (to the Philly
show) that I had met a friend for life. Later that night (post show) we were
driving back to park slope and neither one of us really felt like going straight
home- so we stopped at a favorite park slope spot to have a drink and talkand I remember having the best time talking to Danny.
the time. When we decided to finally head back down, the sun was setting
and all the mountains in the distance were glowing and I felt like I was in
heaven. It was so beautiful and Danny and I just slid down the snow with
huge smiles on our faces.
Later that week, we headed out to the Phish shows in the Gorge in Washington. Danny was so amazed because it was my first Phish show and at that
He was honest, and real, and listened with all his heart as we spoke into the
early morning hours about what made us tick- and what made us want to get
up and continue making our lives into everything we could make them. I
remember Danny telling me he felt too old for Phish tour (that his friends from
Boston days were all getting married)... and that the only reason he kept coming
to shows - in spite of the fact that he felt like he could be outgrowing the band)
was for the friends he kept making along the way- and for the ability to dance,
and share, and have more fun than by doing anything else.
point he’d probably seen hundreds of shows. When the show started, I was
blown away by the beauty of the Gorge and then the music grabbed my attention and it was almost like Danny was inducting me into a whole new world. I
danced by bootie off that weekend and so did Danny. When Danny danced
the music entered his soul and it was almost like he was a conductor for a
Sure enough Danny and I stayed friends beyond just that night. We ended up
going to Limestone, Maine -’It’ festival together (along with a couple other
people). I remember driving his dad’s green lexus suv in the hazy weather and
thinking how fortunate it was that I had met Danny and that I had such a good
friend to travel on tour with.
symphony. You could just see the music pulsating through him. It was awesome.
I had many more great times with Danny, especially at Kendall’s wedding and
his trips out west. It’s so hard to imagine that he is gone. He was so special.
Danny had this energy that you could feel down to your core and he was such
a beautiful person. I will always think of him and remember him smiling up on
that mountain.
~Jenine Camilleri
Danny and I met Chris and Lisa (an amazing couple from Chicago- they had
just gotten married) and the four of us had without a doubt one of the best
times in my life. I remember dancing with the three of them and a couple other
people we had met that first night- and I thought how incredible the Phish
community was- that I had only met all of these people in that last year- yet it
was as if i had known them forever. We danced as if we were brothers and
sisters who had been playing together since the time we were born. And Danny
made it all possible for me. Without him I couldn’t have even made it to Mainelet alone meet these people that I will forever feel are my soul brethren.
Especially Danny.
~ Jenny Bernstein
“Hot Rod”
For our friends wedding (Mat
and Robin) a bunch of us
were in Boston. At some
point during the weekend,
the legend of “Hot Rod” was
born. Hot Rod was Dano.
We aren’t really sure if it’s a
name that he gave himself,
or if somebody decided to
call him that.
As I sit here trying to remember one of my favorite big brother stories, so
many come to mind. Family vacations, the never ending trip where the ENTIRE family had to go with Danny on ALL his college interviews, being in the
car while he drove in Manhattan...eeeek, I could go on for hours.
But, for some reason this one stupid story keeps popping into my head...
It was 1987 and I was having my first slumber party. I was 8, and wanted
sooooo bad for my party to be cool. We had watched all the movies my mom
rented and things were starting to drag. My cool party was turning out to be
Hot Rod was kind of like a super cool alter ego. The legend of Hot Rod
really was characterized by his “move”. Hot Rod’s “move” involved getting
real low to the ground and revving up a little. The legend of Hot Rod became a myth of sorts, Dano refused to acknowledge his existence after the
weekend. My wife was Hot Rod’s biggest fan and would beg Dano to break
out Hot Rod again, but he pretended he didn’t know what she was talking
about.
pretty bad.
Everyone was getting very bored so, I decided to organize a “talent show”.
Uhg...what a bad idea!!! No one wanted to do it. The party was going horrible,
and I was devastated.
Then OUT OF NOWHERE Danny peaked his head in. He had my very shy, 6
year old brother Ryan with him. He had a pillow up his shirt, to make himself
look fat, and a boom box. Danny was definitely up to something.
. . . a few years later (this past summer)
we were at the last Phish show. Suzi somehow convinced Dano that Hot Rod needed
to make a special appearance. She needed
to document Hot Rod, so she took the picture..
They busted in blasting “The Fat Boys” and Danny lipsinked to EVERY word.
He even broke out a few breakdancing moves for my friends. It was great,
they loved him. I am pretty sure a few girls developed crushes that night and
my very cool big brother had just saved my birthday party.
I don’t know why I remember that so well. It was such a silly thing, but, at 8
years old, it meant the world to me. I went to bed in my sleeping bag that night
~Jimmy Orsillo
thanking god that he was there.
~Kristen
When Danny and I first met, basically the only thing he could cook was a bowl
of cereal. I think all he had in his house was a big box of power bars and a can
of green beans. He ordered all of his food out, unless it was something
homemade and delicious that his mom froze for him.
Then, I don’t know how it happened, but when I went to visit him in Idaho, I
discovered that he had begun shopping...in a grocery store! He made breakfast
every morning before going up to the mountain. Eggs with salmon! Toast!
Grits! It was cool. One day he started making some stir frys. Then he started
calling up his mom to get her recipes for chicken parm. He did the whole
bit...prosciutto, the sauce, garlic bread, everything. It was so good! Everyone
loved it. But the dinner party favorite was his spaghetti and pork chops. He
wowed us a few times with that one. I was very proud of him.
~Katie Brennan
My earliest memories of Danny come from the car trip we all took to Florida in
1976. I was five years old and Danny and my brother Dennis were just babies.
Uncle Harry and my Dad (Danny’s Uncle Jack) did the driving, and Aunt Joan
and my Mom (Danny’s Aunt Margaret) took care of Danny and Dennis through
all the driving and all the stops along the way. I rode in the back of the station
wagon that Uncle Harry bought just for the trip. Thanks to Uncle Harry and his
movie camera (which was always on), much of that trip is on film, and I have
seen it so many times that I cannot fully separate my actual memories from
the home movies. But I will always remember Danny and Dennis playing with
Uncle Harry’s microphone and biting its top off! And I will always remember
Danny and Dennis in the hotel swimming pool in their Styrofoam floating baby
seats, with me doggy-paddling nearby.
From then on, Danny and Dennis were my constant partners in various games
and sports, both real and video. I will always remember countless games of
Nintendo hockey downstairs at Aunt Joan’s house, and street football games
every Thanksgiving at Grandma’s house. I remember playing baseball in the
backyard at Aunt Joan’s house one year at Danny’s birthday, and Danny
catching a line drive in the face. I really felt bad that day, but Danny was fine.
I remember playing ball in the house when I used to baby-sit for Danny, Kristen,
and Ryan (sorry about that Aunt Joan!) Later, when I got my driver’s license,
I would pick up Kristen, Ryan, and my brother Kevin after school and drive to
Aunt Joan’s house, where Danny and I would play street hockey for hours—
me tending goal and Danny working on various shots. It is hard for me to
believe that both Kevin and Danny are no longer with us, but these memories
will always be with me. To this day, whenever I go to Aunt Joan’s house I halfexpect that we’ll all play some sort of game together and I’m a little disappointed
that we don’t.
I will also remember fondly all of Danny’s various interests. It was always
interesting to see what new thing Danny was trying. I remember going to his
dance recitals a long time ago. I remember Uncle Harry taking me, Danny,
and Dennis to a Devils game against the Penguins in the mid-1980’s (I think it
was the first hockey game for all of us), which was the beginning of Danny’s
life-long devotion to hockey. I remember when Danny was into Def Leppard,
and dirt biking, and breakdancing, and then later surfing and snowboarding—
not to mention computers, which became his career choice. I am probably
missing a lot of other things but I can’t go on forever!
These are only a few of the many memories that have danced through my
head in the last few weeks, and I am honored to be able to share them with all
of Danny’s many friends and family. Farewell Danny, and take good care of
Kevin and Grandpa. We miss all three of you very much.
Your cousin, John
I understand the task at hand is to write a memorable, and preferable funny,
anecdote about Danny. It is an undertaking both easy and difficult.
In the first summers in Point Pleasant I remember, much to his mother’s
amusement, taking Danny for walks on the boardwalk (he was three or four)
and using him to attract girls.
When I was about nine years old I walked down to the Ocean Ave Deli in Point
Pleasant Beach like I often did summer days to buy a jello pudding pop, Swedish
fish, a Reggie Jackson candy bar or some other sugar laden thing. Vinny the
deli owner met me with his usual excited tone and told me about these breakdancers that were going to be dancing in front of the store that evening. Wow.
I imagined city guys gyrating like robotic pretzels. I couldn’t wait for the show.
Later in his life as Danny graduated college and sought his path to the future I
introduced him to Joe Korman and in return Danny help drag my somewhat
backwards law firm into the computer age.
After a sun soaked day at the beach I walked down to the deli to catch the
action. People of various ages had formed a small circle in front of the Deli,
Danny was always around when we’d concoct new ways to crash our network
and I know at least one all-nighter spent by him installing wires and computers
in my 75-year-old office building. But these stories beg the question of what
Danny meant to his family or me.
but there were no gold-chained baggy pants wearing guys from Brooklyn. There
was a skinny three ft tall white kid with a dark brown bowl haircut with moves
like Michael Jackson crossed with Webster and his tiny two ft high sidekick.
My initial disappointment disappeared when their ghetto blaster started pumping
I found the measure of his importance in the unending devotion of his parents
and brother and sister when word of his disappearance reached them. For
Joan and Harry a time of panic and sorrow. For Kristen and Ryan a time to act.
We went to Idaho and walked the lake and the bridge. We organized the
search and the information campaign. We did for Danny what we knew he
would do for all of us. He was honest, compassionate and above all loyal to
those he loved.
out some electronic grooves and this kid, loose as a jellyfish, started spinning
on pieces of cardboard from Vinny’s discarded produce boxes. I had
unsuccessfully tried similar moves in the privacy of my locked bedroom. The
stuff he was doing was hard. He was smooth. “Who was this kid and where
did he learn how to dance like that?” I thought. After the show I walked away
feeling weird. I didn’t realize kids could have the confidence to do something
like that in public.
Danny’s passing and the strange, and cruel way it came upon us, has changes
us all forever.
A few days, weeks, months, later, I can’t remember. My friend Marty said he
On one of our trips to New York, Kristen and I met Robert Kennedy, Jr. Given
how angry Danny was at George Bush’s re-election I think it would be
appropriate to remember him in the way Ted Kennedy in his eulogy remembered
Robert Kennedy:
had a friend I should meet. He brought him along to one of our weekly pickup
“Love is not an easy feeling to put into words.
Nor is loyalty, or trust or joy. But he was all of these.
He loved life completely and he lived it intensely”
was sealed, we were buds for life. The stories could fill a book, maybe one
~ Uncle Lou
wiffle ball games on the beach. It was the break-dancer. His parents had
recently bought a house on the boardwalk, approximately ten houses north of
the house my parents rented every summer. He was a Yankees fan. The deal
day they will. Danny, you will always be with me whenever I dance, whether it
be with friends on land or alone on a wave. I love you.
~ Mike Manzulli
I was lucky enough to get to know Danny for the last
few years and got to spend time with him whenever
he came back home. Danny was always a person
who was happy to embrace whoever was around and
no matter who came along he was there to be sure
they were having fun! I got to be a part of Danny’s
birthday lobster dinners and got to hang out with
Danny and Ryan on the boat. But through the last
few weeks I keep coming back to one memory The
night that Danny shaved his head I’m sure it’s been
recalled a few times already but I’d like to talk about after the main event of the
night occurred. We all headed down to Jenkinson’s to hang out for the night
and meet up with Danny and his friends who were already down there. I got
into the bar and was immediately welcomed with a huge hug from Danny and
an immediate request for what I’d like to drink!
Danny made it a point that night to tell everyone how glad he was that they
were there. It didn’t matter if he had known you through years of friendship or
if you had only been able to be together on a handful of occasions. He didn’t
care that it was his birthday and his night to celebrate, he just wanted everyone to appreciate the company and enjoy each other and the summer and the
perfect night. That’s what I’ll take away from the time I got to know Danny. It
didn’t matter whose night it was, just that everyone was there, everyone was
smiling and everyone had a good time.
~Kate Armstrong
My Nephew Danny.
My memories of Danny start with the day he was born. Looking at him in the
hospital I was so proud. Here he was my sister's first child and the first time I
became an aunt. I can remember thinking that there was no need for a name
card because he looked just like a little Harry. A month later Dennis was born.
In the early years Danny and Dennis were like twins often wearing the same
outfits, sucking on each other's pacifiers, sometimes sleeping in the same
crib.
It was the sixth grade band concert at Lloyd Road School. Dennis was in the
band and the highlight of the concert was a song that had become very popular
because of the recent Pee Wee Herman craze "Tequila".
The band leader announced that a special quest was in the audience and as
we all looked towards the back of the audience we saw Dennis leading Pee
Wee Herman (Danny) to the stage. Danny looked just like Pee Wee and had
his act down perfect. As he began his famous dance the crowd roared. I
When I first met Danny I was standing on top of the Clune family coffee table
(acting pretty ridiculous, not expecting anyone to come in), when in walked
Danny. With a low key shrug of his shoulders, a nod, and a smile, I got the
patented Dan Clune “Hey”. From that point on, I would receive the same “Hey”
at every family function, birthday, summer party, etc. for the next several years.
remember how hard Joan and I were laughing. It was a very special moment.
Dan was always the best to sit next to at these events because if you listen
closely, you’ll hear some priceless (often sarcastic) one liners, which can leave
you rolling. From his low key “Hey” you would never guess that , when comfortable, Dan could become the life of the party. If you got to see that side of
him, you can be assured that you were very special to him.
on my TV at least twice just in time to see Pee
I haven't seen Pee Wee Herman on TV for many
years but in the last few weeks I have turned
Wee dance to Tequila. It instantly brought me
back to that sixth grade concert and I can still
see Kevin, Ryan, Kristen, John, Joan, Harry,
Jack and I smiling.
Although I’ve seen him get wild (note the “head shaving” party), my favorite
times with Dan were the low key, chilled out times, hanging out on the boat,
discussing something pointless, or watching tv on the couch. Thank you for
being who you are Dan, you’ll be missed.
~Andy Hartman
~ Aunt Margaret
As I sit here I can’t help but be absorbed in pain and grief consumed by an
utter feeling of emptiness, but I know that Danny is looking down wishing we
didn’t all feel this way. So I am going to attempt to remember the many good
memories that my brother left me and see if I can share them with you. The
problem is which one to use because there are so many.
I could tell you about time he accidentally rammed a hockey stick in my mouth
leaving me with a hole in my tongue, or about the time I chipped his tooth with
a teaspoon I flung across the room, but I don’t think my mother would appreciate
that. I could also tell you about the time he and Chris Meehan tied me to a
street hockey net in the driveway and shot street hockey pucks at me because
I refused to play goalie that day, but I don’t think Chris would want me to tell
you about that. I might even tell you about the first, and only, day I was able to
return the favor and beat him in one of our infamous wrestling matches, but I
wouldn’t want to egg him on because he might come back and pin me one last
time to show who’s boss.
Instead, I’m going to tell you about a memory that didn’t take place that long
ago and, in my mind, truly defined the relationship between two brothers who
shared so much in common. As a child I always wished I had a younger brother
that I could guide and teach in the same manner my brother did for me. I even
remember asking my mom to adopt a baby from Australia because I wanted
my younger brother to have an Australian accent (I don’t know, I was young!).
But I truly wanted to be able to give to someone the way my brother gave to
me. I wanted someone to idolize me the way I idolized Danny. Danny did so
much to teach me things and spread my horizon. He let me tag along when he
went skateboarding or surfing, he helped me learn to play hockey, even though
he had only just begun playing himself. He turned me on to music and brought
me to tons of concerts, most recently a Phish show in Coney Island where
Jay-Z came out for a surprise performance. Danny was convinced that show
was for me alone because earlier in the day I was trying to get him to listen to
some Jay-Z.
This memory was the first chance I had to switch roles with Danny and teach
him something that was a big part of my life. I taught my brother how to
snowboard at the end of the 2001 season. He loved it and wanted nothing but
to ride from that day forward. In January in 2003, I had organized and week of
training for my university’s ski team, which at the time, I was the president of.
The trip was planned for a week of training at Mount Tremblant, a few hours
north of Montreal. The ski team training trips were great because you learned
a lot in the week’s time, plus, there were never any adults there so they were
a ton of fun too. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for Danny to
learn and lot and also, to spent some time in my world as opposed to me
always tagging along with him.
The week at Mount Tremblant was amazing. Danny improved so much on his
riding that week and I could see him really embracing the sport and beginning
to make it a part of who he is. We took the Canadian party scene by storm that
week. They had never encountered a duo like my brother and I. I remember
Danny asking how old everyone on the team was and I told him that we ranged
from 18-22. He was floored that at 27 he was hanging out with 18 year olds but
decided that he was gonna live an alternate ego for the week and be my little
brother. He even bragged the night he got ID’d at a bar (especially since legal
age in Canada is 18). We had truly switched roles.
The week was one of the best times I ever had with my brother and I remember
walking away from it thinking that Danny and I had reached a level in our
relationship that we hadn’t been to yet. For the first time, I was able to broaden
his horizons and show him something new and I can’t tell you how honored I
was to do that for someone who spent most his life doing that for me. I felt we
were the closest we had ever been (and we were always very close) and that
continued to grow from that week forward. Just two weeks ago, I was supposed
to visit Danny in Idaho to snowboard so he could show me his new home and
his new mountain, and he probably planned to show off some of his new skills.
That week in Tremblant was an experience I’ll never forget. In fact, I was just
on the mountain today and I couldn’t help but think of Danny the whole time I
was there. I miss my brother with all my heart. He showed me and taught me
more in my 24 years than most people experience in a whole life time. In so
many ways he defined who I am, but for that one week, I was able to do that
for him, and I’ve never been more honored or proud in my life.
Below is a picture of Danny and I from that week at Mount Tremblant.