Saturday, August 23, 2008
By: Daniel Scott, Sr.

My dad, Landy, came in from Las Vegas on Friday evening so we could attend the funeral of his sister, Diane Haury, my Aunt Diane. We got up early on Saturday to get ready. Daniel had bought a new blue shirt, blue tie and new shoes for the occasion. I helped him tie his tie that morning, not knowing that it would be the last fatherly act I'd ever get to do with my son. David met us at the house around 8:30 or 9 a.m. He was going to follow us since he had to go to work immediately after the service. Daniel and David hadn't talked since they had an argument in late June.

My dad got in the front seat and Daniel the rear. With David following we headed south on Buena Vista towards the 134 Freeway, a freeway that would take on an all new meaning in less than twenty four hours. There's a traffic light just before entering the freeway with no right turn on red allowed, and it was red so we waited. Daniel suddenly asked if he could ride with David, adding that he didn't want David driving alone. I was surprised since I could sense tension in the air when they were at the house together. I said sure and Daniel ran back and jumped into David's truck. The rest of trip to Thousand Oaks was uneventful. I would later find out that Daniel told David that he knew that he "wasn't the best guy in the world", but "when it hits the fan, you better believe that I'll be there and I'll do whatever it takes." He then looked at David and said, "I just want to help people."

We arrived at the cemetery and went inside. I remember thinking how very proud I was of the fact that Daniel and David came along to represent my father's side of the family. They both looked sharp, but Daniel really stood out, there was an air of quiet confidence. David would later comment about seeing the same confidence in Daniel.

We were greeted by cousins that I had only met a couple of times before. They were thrilled that we came, but most excited to see that my dad, Diane's little brother, came in from Las Vegas. My cousin took a photograph of the four of us, the last photo ever taken of Daniel, now a priceless photograph.

Prior to the start of the services, the four of us approached the open casket to pay our respects to our beloved Aunt Diane. I would find out later that David was very emotionally upset by the sight of Aunt Diane. Because of her build and family resemblance, David thought about his wife, my daughter, Michelle. Michelle and David were separated at the time, with Michelle visiting my sister in Wisconsin. David broke down, thinking that he and Michelle wouldn't be together to see each other grow old. Daniel immediately came to his side to comfort him. David said that Daniel was a great comfort by walking him outside and telling him everything would be okay. (That story is based on the accounts told to me by Daniel later that day and from David weeks later)

It was a small ceremony, but very nice. My Aunt Diane, 93 when she died, looked very much at peace. The four of us took a seat while various speakers talked about the life of Aunt Diane. The pastor asked if anyone had any other stories to tell about Aunt Diane. I urged my dad to tell the story about Aunt Diane and her sisters singing in the tavern that my grandparents owned back in Oconto,Wisconsin, a story I heard many times growing up. He didn't hear me correctly so instead of telling the story I asked him to tell, he talked about when he sang in the tavern. He then proceeded to sing, "Oconto will Shine Tonight", which had nothing to do with my Aunt Diane. The story and song did get a lot of laughs.

The ceremony was beautiful, honoring the life of Aunt Diane. It concluded with a slide show including a couple of photos of my dad and Diane taken around Christmas of 2006. We proceeded outside to the grave site for the service. I remember teasing Daniel about new shoes and he just smiled a quiet smile. I told him I liked his tie and commented about how sharp he looked. He mentioned that he liked it too and was going to start buying nicer clothes. David would later comment about that too, saying how at peace Daniel was. Maybe it was just 20/20 hindsight that made us think that.

While we got ready to leave and saying our goodbyes my dad joked sarcastically to Daniel about being glad he came, since they had never met Aunt Diane. Daniel didn't seem to understand the ribbing, while I tried to explain to an 89 year old man that he was there to represent his side of the family and that he should be proud of him, which I'm sure he was....I know I was very proud.

As we left, we decided to drive around Thousand Oaks and look at a few houses since I was in the market for a house. We probably spent an hour or so driving around before we headed back home. My dad couldn't decide if he wanted to go the home of Diane's family for a get together, which was in Palmdale, another hour away from my house. I remember the drive back, especially once we got off the freeway, it now seems so surreal, the entire day seems surreal. Just as we arrived home my dad decided that he did want to go to the get together. Daniel elected to remain home. I asked Daniel to fill up the propane tank for the outdoor grill so we could make something for dinner.

My dad and I then left. That too was uneventful, but nice to see relatives I rarely saw. One notable event happened on the trip home. My dad commented that his other sister's relatives were not represented and that it was disgraceful that none of them attended the funeral. I reminded him of his teasing of Daniel earlier in the day and explained why I was so proud of him. I think he finally understood.

I called Daniel before arriving home and asked what he wanted for dinner. We decided to grill salmon, a dish I started making a few years earlier. We stopped at the market and returned home, arriving around 5:30 - 6 p.m. I asked Daniel if he remembered to fill the propane tank and was surprised that he did. I changed and went into the kitchen to marinade the salmon. Again to my surprise, Daniel had already had the salmon soaking in the lemon juice….he had never done that before.

We grilled the salmon, made rice and broccoli and ate in front of the television on TV trays. When we finished we watched some TV and engaged in small talk. Daniel always loved listening to his grandfather tell stories about his days of driving a race car.

Around 9:15 - 9:30 p.m. Daniel got up from his chair and said he was going to go out to meet some friends. When he was just about ready, standing in front of the bathroom sink with the door open, I told him to "be careful", something that I said to him every time he went out. He replied something different this time, he said, "I'm always careful Dad" and laughed. I said, "Don't get into any trouble." He replied, "I won't START the trouble" and laughed again. I told him not to get into trouble, that it was a choice. It was a very light moment. I sat down on the couch as Daniel walked in front of me, to the door and opened it. Before saying our goodbyes, he told me that he had to be at work at 7 a.m., but would be home by noon to take "grandpa to the airport." We all said our goodnights and he shut the door for the last time. It was 9:45 p.m. I never saw my son alive again. He died less than five hours later.

I found out months later that Daniel's last words spoken, were to his dear friend when he told her, "I love you" and drove off.

Daniel was buried in his new blue shirt and blue tie (shown below) the following Friday.