Daniel Edward Kelleher, son of Edward Daniel Kelleher jr. and Margaret Harvenek Kelleher, was born in Cicero, Illinois on January 13th, 1945 while his father participated in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII. The first of five children, Daniel grew up a military brat, moving between foreign assignments in post-war Austria and Germany, and domestic stints in Monterrey, California, before his family finally settled upon a home base in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., where Eddie and Maggie would raise him and his two brothers and two sisters. A studious Eagle Scout and dutiful altar boy, Daniel caught the eye of a bespectacled Mary Karen Maloney at a school dance when he was 16 years old, and they would elope 5 years later. Their first son, Peter Nicholas Kelleher, was born in April of 1967 while both were still in school, followed by Molly Ann in 1971 and Ian Paul in 1973.
Daniel received his Bachelor’s in Science from the University of Maryland, followed by Masters degrees and eventually a PhD in Physics. His intense focus earned him a coveted job working as a physicist for the nation’s science research division, the National Bureau of Standards, where he enjoyed a 30-year career doing scientific experiments, publishing many scientific papers, and eventually providing statistical analysis tools to the nation’s applied science division, the National Institute for Science and Technology.
Boasting a rigorous work ethic, Daniel also enjoyed many avocations, including photography, competitive Bridge, and tennis. He taught himself Russian and Creole, took up the violin in his late 30s, and he volunteered for youth groups in Anacostia throughout the 80s and 90s. He photographed weddings on the side. Though scientifically minded, Daniel had a passionate interest in primal religions. As he approached retirement, he traveled Appalachia to learn about Pentecostal Snake-Handlers, and eventually traveled to Haiti a number of times to study Haitian Catholic traditions. He even wrote an unpublished book about his experiences with Voodoo-practicing communities, and upon retirement from the Federal Government in 2002, he traveled to India to study Hindu Sadhus.
Daniel’s wife developed Dementia in 1999, denying them the travel-filled retirement that they’d planned. Nearly a decade later, when he could no longer care for her, he found a safe home for Karen at the Potomac Valley Nursing Home in Rockville Maryland. He became a regular and cherished part of that community until she passed away in 2013.
In 2007, Dan found new love in Ursula Daniels, and the two made a life together of travel, enjoying the cultural wonders of the DC area, and enjoying their grandchildren. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2010, Daniel faced his gradual decline with unflappable grace and humor. When he finally moved to the Chevy Chase House assisted living facility, he helped form informal groups to study poetry, films, and radio plays. At last, though, on February 27th, 2017, with his Parkinson’s disease having so weakened his constitution, the season’s flu took him at last, with him cheery and joking and loving till his final moments.
He is survived by his children Molly and Ian, by his sister Bridget and his brothers Christian and Robert, by his six grandchildren, Kieran, Liam, Claire, Oren, Quinn, and Davia, and by his love of the past 10 years, Ursula.
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