May 4, 2019  It is with tremendous sorrow we share the following.
Delbert DeWayne Daniel, Aug. 23, 1941-May 4, 2019
Delbert “Del” DeWayne Daniel, a longtime resident of Fullerton, died May 4 in hospice care at home after a long battle with lymphoma. He was 78.
A renowned tennis player, he was a professional coach for a number of years in the Long Beach and Orange County areas and also coached the Boys and Girls teams at Canyon Springs High in Moreno Valley.
He was an active genealogist and had traced many family histories in putting together extensive family trees for future generations to build on. He had an impressive stamp collection which he began in his youth and was well-known among area philatelists. He was a huge fan of big bands and jazz bands and regularly attended shows up and down California.
Also, he was a talented writer of short stories and regularly entertained a large audience of Facebook friends with his memories, most of them humorous and self-effacing. They were well-received by all.
He was born in Borger, Tex. to William A. and Mary Lee Rodgers Daniel on Aug. 23, 1941, the first of four children. The young family moved to Long Beach in 1942 to work in the shipyards after the outbreak of WWII. Two sets of grandparents also made the move, establishing a decades-long association with Long Beach.
Known as “Sonny” until his teen-age years, he started elementary school at Starr King before the family moved close to Houghton Park and he attended Grant Elementary, Hamilton Jr. High, and Jordan High, where he earned All-City honors in both singles and doubles for the Panther tennis team for three years running. He was the No. 1 player at Long Beach City College and accepted an athletic scholarship to Wichita State University and later transferred to Long Beach State. He owned and operated tennis shops at Billie Jean King Center in Recreation Park as well as shops at El Dorado Park and other locales during his professional life.
Del is survived by daughters Dee Lyn Jones and her 5 sons, Taylor, Dallin, Riley, Mason, and Colton; and Kristie Rae Weiser (Kevin) and her daughters Jessica and Jordan; along with younger brother Dave (Mary) and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother Darryl, and his sister Mary Denese.
Service information to come …

From Del, January 8, 2019
I was taken to the hospital on December 24. I was taken to Anaheim Regional where they kept observing me for two weeks while they could not find me a place to begin chemo quickly. I did not get into the cancer study I wished since I could not finish taking a Vital Pet Scan they needed.

I have been in Orange Coast Memorial Hospital since Friday night. I have been awfully sick since then. And haven’t eaten or drank very many fluids. I started on pre medicines before chemo yesterday. I will have second chemo medicines this afternoon which is Bendeca. My next section of chemo will start tomorrow with Rituxan added.

At this time they are being very careful as they think I may lose my kidneys. I have about 30-40 -% usage now. I have gained nearly 50 pounds around my stomach in a little more than a month. I can not stand.

I am not quitting by any means but things have piled up around me pretty fast. And I hope I can deal with them for a while.

I may be going to a skilled nursing home for a while if I get discharged from here. I cannot talk. I do not have enough air to get anything out. But I will have my iPad.

I now have to hope I can come up with the money to finish my chemo. I guess it is just wait and see.

So far now I am in good hands. I am happier with my doctors and my nurses and the treatments I am getting. I miss my FB friends and I think of you all of the time. I hope to get better but this time it is looking more bleak. Any and all prayers will be greatly appreciated.

I have a lot of family helpers and caregivers around me encouraging me. I am happy for that. That is part of the best thing in my life right now. My daughters, grandchildren, nieces and nephews and my brother and his wife. They are so important to me.

Thanks for listening!