Topic: In Memory of... / Saying Goodbye !

I will remember Danny as a young man who always had a smile on his face when I said “Hello”; who always laughed at my jokes; who kept his pain to himself and wasn’t afraid of the future.
I always made a point of going up front when I would hear Danny’s voice for I knew he was working and I knew I would get a big smile as I rounded the corner on my way to say “HI”. It was one of those things that happen…that one looks forward to…I will miss Danny’s smile and his laughter. Betty Siegel, Transition Specialist

My heart, thoughts, and condolences go out to his entire family.
The memory of Danny that I will carry with me is not the most obvious one: That would be his gregarious personality that made him so much fun to be around. Everybody loved his wit and friendly interactions he had with all of us. For me, it was another prominent trait: Integrity. I will never forget the time when he was faced with a difficult situation at work. He became aware of another employee who was involved in a very serious breach of ethics and law. He could have looked the other way but he chose to do the right thing. It would have been a very difficult decision for anyone to make but he did not hesitate. Everything he told me always turned out to be 100% accurate. In this difficult situation, our work release came out of it stronger when the employee resigned and our collective integrity improved as well. He had a strong sense of right and wrong. He had justice in his DNA and it presented itself when it counted. I will always remember him for his Integrity. Eric Missett, former Community Corrections Supervisor, TCWR

I lovingly started referring to Danny as “The Little Brother I Never Wanted” after I started working at TCWR in April of 2003. Danny made work fun, whether it was a note telling me to look at the bug he had left me in an envelope on my desk (a paperclip and rubber band that made me jump); an occasionally paper ball war (that I usually lost); or coming in to find him setting a bugs bunny like trap for a mouse that had scurried across the duty station during a graveyard shift. With Danny around it was never a dull moment. Along with being ornery and fun he was also very sweet, leaving me money to buy myself flowers to say thank you or giving me a huge hug when my son got hurt and was airlifted to Harborview. I don’t believe I ever saw Danny have a bad day, even when things got rough he still had his characteristic smile and laugh. These last few days at TCWR have been up and down. One minute crying about the loss and then laughing at some wonderful memory we have of our Dannyboy. Thank you for leaving us so many wonderful memories Danny. We love and miss you!
Hayley Shepard, AA3 TCWR

Danny was a GREAT Intermittent Corrections Officer at TCWR for many years. He was a “pit bull investigator”. I used to shoot him an email on a Friday before a weekend…upon my return; I would find a thorough report & many infractions. He had the most beautiful girlfriend who was a law student…could never figure out how he got her & I would tease him unmercifully about it…accused him of telling all sorts of stories to win her over to the dark side!! I would play so many jokes on Danny (one’s that dare not be written) and he returned the pranks full force!! He talked to me at length & helped me understand about combat mixed martial arts and why my son (Kyle) wanted to fight in this disciplined fashion. Danny & Kyle wanted to spar and train together to learn from each other. Danny was self trained and had deadly force kicks. Kyle was into boxing, ground and pound. Danny warned Kyle of telegraphing and underestimating the power of a round house kick – well, that is what took Kyle out of his last fight. Danny and Kyle never got that chance to train together in the cage…. Danny Massey had strong integrity, infinite spirit, was a fierce warrior and will always be my friend. Carol Nickerson, Hearings Officer and former CCO3 at TCWR

I will always remember our Danny as the PRANKSTER!! He was always doing something to put a little excitement in my life! One of his best capers was placing a set alarm clock in the light fixture in the Duty Station at the work release. For some reason that day I looked up and spotted the clock, after removing it, I emailed him letting him know HE DID NOT GET ME. That was a mistake!! A few days later an alarm clock went off in to duty station in a locked drawer. 15 minutes later another alarm clock went off in a locked drawer. After unlocking all the drawers I found 5 more alarm clocks set to go off every 15 minutes. I left him another email, " GOT ME"! On the serious side, Danny was loved by all of us as he was funny, happy and loved life to its fullest. There was never a dull moment when Danny around and we will miss his exuberance for life. Lynda Thornton, C/O TCWR

You always knew when Danny was on shift. The distinctive gas hog car in the parking lot was the first clue. The offenders were astir because Danny’s standards were high and he was a great detective at sniffing out wrong-doing. The Duty Station was littered with Danny’s “health food” – candy, sunflower seeds, Mountain Dew. Most of all, there would be his funny little laugh and sly humor…the amusing e-mails, phone calls, or outrageous comments I heard him making to Hayley outside my door. What a great, smart, funny, and very courageous guy. Despite the outward “coolness”, there were moments of vulnerability – sadness over the loss of his Mom, being so nervous he was almost sick during the last round of job interviews.
As a parent, I can’t imagine the pain of losing a child and, like all of us, I’m filled with a sense of how unfair it is for someone so young to die so soon. I guess, for me, that’s the saddest piece of all – that we will never see the man Danny would have become or heard his funny stories about being Kelly’s husband, or the father of kids who surely would have been cute, charming hellions like their dad. There was only one Danny and no one can take his place at Tri-Cities Work Release. Debra Prichard, Community Corrections Supervisor, TCWR