September 21, 1984 – April 08, 2006

Dear friend,

I want you to know why Danny is loved and why he will be missed.

I want you to know that growing up, his loyalty was unmatched. One afternoon, when we were still mischievous little kids, I did something to get in trouble with my grandma. As she approached me with an angry face, Danny quickly pulled me into my room, locked the door, and proceeded to pull the mattress off of my bed to use as a barricade. I gave him a nervous look. “Don’t worry,” he said with a big smile on his face. “You’ll be safe here.” An hour later, his dad showed up and convinced us to come out. Danny claimed immediately that it was his fault and got all of the disciplining, but he didn’t care. He wanted to protect me.

Throughout the years, his mentality never changed. He was on my side no matter what. When we played basketball, he picked me on his team regardless of how many better players were left to choose from. When he griped about the lack of studying needed by business majors at UT, there was always an “except for Joe” thrown in at the end, even if it wasn’t true. When I got traffic tickets, he had elaborate explanations made up on the spot on how it couldn’t have been my fault, and I was more than happy to agree with him.

I want you to know that he was one of the smartest and hardest-working people I knew. He could have graduated high school without trying, but he studied anyways, knowing it would prepare him for college. At UT, he was majoring in Biomedical Engineering and had a 3.8 GPA. 90-somethings came easy, although he struggled to get 100s. I could only laugh every time I heard him say that. Most people would be glad for an A, but Danny always challenged himself to go above and beyond.

He was also handy with anything he touched. He built his own computers and he changed his own oil. He took apart all kinds of electronics just for fun and put them back together again. I remember one time Danny and I decided to hang out at my apartment after class, but when we got to the front door, I realized I had lost my keys. “Don’t worry,” he told me with another big smile on his face. Out came what seemed to be a piece of metal wire, and one minute later, the door was open. He had the nerve to wink at me and say, “You might want to get something more secure.”

I want you to know he had the biggest heart. He put everyone else’s well-being first. Knowing others were happy was what made him happy. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas, he made it his main concern to help feed the needy, and that was only the beginning of his volunteer efforts. For me, he always offered a helping hand with everything, including a move from Texas to Wisconsin. According to him, I needed someone to pass the time with during the 20-hour drive. “You realize you’ll have to drive another 20 hours back without me.” I told him. With that familiar big smile on his face, he replied, “Don’t worry.” Same answer as always.

I want you to know he was on the Alief Middle School basketball team, the Elsik High School tennis team, and achieved the rank of black belt in Okinawan Karate. His favorite food was the Quarter Pounder from McDonalds – no onions, extra pickles of course. And if you gave him a bucket of crawfish, he might go at it for hours.

I want you to know who Danny Le was – a great friend, cousin, and brother… my great friend, cousin, and brother.

Love always,

Joe