It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved son Daniel. Anyone who met our son Daniel experienced his warmth and compassion. He also had a great sense of humor that brightened our days. He will be terribly missed by all.

Daniel was born on April 4, 2001 as a plump 9'12oz scrumptious healthy baby in Royal Oak. Daniel attended Beechview Elementary. He was quick to make friends. His music teacher said his musicality was off the charts. He had been playing by ear at age 4 with The Polar Express theme song. He attended East Middle School playing 1st chair clarinet and joining the Jazz Band as the pianist. He also participated in the National Federation of Music Clubs for 4 years receiving Superior rating every year in piano accuracy, technic, and rhythm. He excelled at everything he took on. He received scholarships through Schoolcraft college to attend their prestigious piano ensemble camp every summer. As he headed into high school, he again excelled as 2nd chair clarinet. He also enjoyed flag football and softball. He received his junior letter in diving as well. He graduated with a 3.45 from Farmington High School while battling lyme disease. We were very proud how he maintained the course even when not feeling well. He then attended Occ Orchard Ridge and finished an Associates degree in Applied Science.

We spent many days as a family up at our cottage at Higgins Lake where Daniel loved riding his dirt bike with his brother Sean on the trails. We spent hours on the lake where he loved kneeboarding and tubing with Lauren and Sean. We took up downhill skiing a few years back. He absolutely loved skiing at Boyne with Lauren, Sean and then quickly learned to snowboard with his brother Sean.

After several years suffering from epilepsy, he had found the right medication to spread his wings and travel all the way to Takoma, Washington selling residential fiber optics. He quickly became the top seller which we found as no surprise! Everybody likes Daniel! He decided to return home to pursue the School of Dentistry this coming fall. He was very excited to go back to school.

Daniel had a growing faith in Jesus where his curiosity to know Him better increased this year. He knew God had offered him divine protection over the last 7 years with his seizures and did not take that for granted. His last question he asked me was how to discern God's voice. That night my girlfriend sent me a podcast with that very title. It showed him how close God is and how much he cared for Daniel.

Daniel was a gentle, kind, compassionate, honest and intentional person with his life and with the people around him. He showed up fully any time someone needed him to, with an open heart and open mind. He took care of himself and the people around him with great care and the purest of intentions. He was blunt and honest when it was needed, inquisitive, very smart and very good at reading people and knowing what they're feeling before they say anything. He had such a wit and such a way of coming up with clever jokes that were between tactful and out of pocket at times, but they always hit and were said at the right time to bring laughter and clarity to a situation all in one. He was stern in his beliefs and stayed true to them. Always stood up for what was right. Occasionally pissed people off because he wouldn't accept people doing wrong in his presence. He was also very protective of the people he cared about and would go lengths just to be sure that we were safe. He really had a heart of gold and a mind of steel that was so powerful yet so susceptible to overthinking. He had demons he never deserved.
May his soul rest easy. He had a presence that filled every room he entered. Always a perfect gentleman.

He is survived by Mark, his Dad, Julie, his Mom, Lauren his sister, and Sean his brother.

The Phillips family will receive guests Wednesday, July 22, 9am-12pm, at the funeral home, where a funeral service honoring Daniel will begin at 12 noon.

Please offer any donations to the Epilepsy Foundation in honor of our son, Daniel.

Please keep the Phillips family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.