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IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Daniel

Daniel Demattos Profile Photo

Demattos

Mar 12, 1943 — Feb 9, 2016

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Obituary

Daniel (Dan) de Mattos was born on March 12, 1943 at Kapiolani Maternity Hospital at 2AM to George and Lindy Dedman of Honolulu, Hawaii. Initially, he was named George Daniel Dedman, but following his parents' divorce when Dan was a year old, he was adopted by his maternal grandmother, Mary Gomes de Mattos in 1944. He was given the name of his then deceased maternal grandfather, Daniel de Mattos, and this became his legal name for all intents and purposes, but he was still George Daniel de Mattos on all of his legal papers up until his death. Dan attended St. Patrick Elementary School in Honolulu Hawaii where his aunt, Sister Veronica de Mattos was principal. Due to overcrowding after the old St Patrick School burnt down, he was promoted to 2nd grade there and attended through the end of 3rd grade. The next year, his mother remarried and they both moved for six months to Minnesota where he acquired two stepsisters and a temporary stepfather. His mother divorced her 2nd husband that same year, and she and Dan moved next to Los Angeles, California where a few of her sisters lived. Dan attended Ascension Grade School in Gardena, California until he entered high school in 1956. His freshman year of highschool, he attended Mount Carmel Highschool in Los Angeles. At the end of that year, he and his mother returned to Wailuku, Maui where he lived with his mother and grandmother, Mary G. de Mattos until his graduation from Saint Anthony Junior,Senior Highschool in 1960. Upon graduation, he entered the Marianist Congregation of Brothers and Priests as a Brother of Mary. He next flew to Santa Cruz, California where he entered their novitiate and scholasticate. Following the completion of his canonical years of study, he returned to Honolulu Hawaii to finish his Bachelor of Arts, and Masters Degrees at Chaminade University of the Pacific. His first year of teaching was at St. Louis High School in Kaimuki where he taught Social Studies to students in the Honors Study Program.  Following his first teaching experience, he was asked by his religious community to serve as Principal of Saint Anthony Junior/Senior High School in Wailuki, Maui, the same school he attended when he was in highschool. He was principal there for almost two years before deciding that religious life was no longer his calling after belonging to the congregation for 12 years. He moved to Los Angeles California in October of 1972 and got a job at Occidental Life Insurance Company as an internal, or as he liked to call the job, an infernal auditor..He soon moved up in his job once he completed his Fellow of Life Office Management Certification as a manager. Even later, he applied for and became the Chief Executive Office for Transamerica's Reinsurance line. Transamerica by the way was the parent company for Occidental Life.  On July 16, 1975, he met the young woman who was to become his wife by the name of Cecelia Therese Darling. They dated until September of 1975 when they became engaged to be married. Dan gave Cecelia her engagement ring on her 32nd birthday of November 5th of that year and the two were married on February 7, 1976 in Redondo Beach, California. Dan had purchased his first house at 1399 Cheviotdale Drive in Pasadena, California.  On November 3, 1976, their firstborn son, Daniel Zachary aka Danny was born sleeping. The shock of this horrible loss took it's toll on Dan, but being the ultimate survivor that he was, he continued only to look toward the future while still dealing with his own and his wife's grief over the loss of their child. After 18 months, they found out they were pregnant again. Because the Pasadena property was too small for a growing family, Dan moved his wife and himself into a much larger home at 10232 Tinker Avenue in Tujunga, California. On May 25, 1978, their second son was born healthy and named Robert Martin.. What a gift he and later on, his little sister were to Dan and Cecelia. On April 8, 1980, Molly Elizabeth was born at Verdugo Hills Hospital in Glendale, CA where her brothers made their appearances earlier. The young family lived in Tujunga where the children attended Apperson Street School and Our Lady of Lourdes School. Dan bought a wonderful Minnie Winnie RV and the family traveled many places to camp at Thousand Trail Resorts. They flew to Colorado one vacation as well. In 1989 they moved to Santa Clarita California to a newer home at 21027 Susan Carole Drive..The children attended school there until 1992. In 1991, Dan took his family on their first trip to Oahu and visited his Aunt Cecilia de Mattos who lived in Senior retirement in Nuuanu Valley. The children learned first hand from their aunty, Sister Veronica, all about her experience when Pearl Harbor was bombed. It was a wonderful vacation, the first of several we took back to the islands. In 1991, Dan learned that the reinsurance line of his company would be moving to the East Coast. That meant that Dan now would be in charge of the entire corporate  move. Cecelia and his children moved in June of that year after 2 familiarization trips to Charlotte, NC. Dan had to remain until July to wrap up the business end of the trsnsfer. Finally after fun with the moving company, he and his family moved into 9507 White Hemlock Lane in Charlotte, NC..The children attended middle school and highschool at South Charlotte Middle School and later Providence High School. Cecelia taught one year at Elizabeth Traditional School before retiring from education. Dan was with Transamerica until the company was sold to Aegon in 1998 when he decided to also retire. But, not for long. He worked as a realtor/broker for ReMax Elite until he began his own company called, Great Carolina Homes. He made a lot of friends through his clients who adored him and his work ethic. Dan was fair and helpful to anyone who came to him, no matter their financial situation. In 1999, both of his children were on their own, Rob was working and attending classes in automotive and technical school, and Molly went 4 years to UNC Asheville and after graduating with a degree in English Literature, she decided to live there. In 2004 Molly married Heather Lea Anne Brown in Asheville, NC, and Rob married Amber Bailey in 2005. In 2007, Dan and Cecelia became the proud grandparents of Charles Daniel de Mattos and in 2012 of William Michael de Mattos.  The boys were the pride of their Pepaw, a name devised for him instead of Grandpa. He loved to tickle them and pretend to get them with his hand spider..They would squeal with glee. Dan's favorite journey aside from visiting his grandsons in Louisiana, was to sit on the sand in North Myrtle Beach SC, in front of his condo and read or walk on the beach every day, sometimes for hours. You could set your clock by him as far as his daily routine went. He loved being on a schedule, even past retirement..Most every time we entertained family or friends, he welcomed them with open arms and enjoyed a hearty conversation with them. His laugh still echoes in the ears of his family. In 2004, he became the father in law to Heather Lea Anne Brown and from day one, they hit it off..until he left this earth. In 2002, his wife, Cecelia, was able to find his father's family. His father remarried twice after divorcing his mother, and the youngest child of his second marriage was thrilled when she finally could come and meet him. Her love for him had no end, and on July 4, 2005, she got married and he proudly walked her down the sand of a beach on the big island of Hawaii to meet her husband, Michael at shore's edge. He was grinning from ear to ear as Elsa and Michael pledged their love to one another. Dan and Cecelia gave each other surprise birthday parties, and then on Cecelia's 70th, their daughters Molly and Heather gave another surprise party for Cecelia's 70th. Dan and Cecelia never dreamed that they'd only have two more years of marriage to their best friends, each other.  On Tuesday night,February 9th, 2016, Cecelia found Dan face down on the bedroom floor. They arent certain as to the cause of death, but believe it was a massive coronary episode. After an hour and a half of the paramedics trying to revive Dan, he was pronounced to be gone to God after midnight on February 10, 2016.  The light of their lives, the 72 years of a life brilliantly lived was snuffed out so quickly. The husband of 40 years and two days was taken to live with his firstborn son, Danny, in heaven. The family could only imagine their reunion and Dan's reunion with his parents after such a long absence. Dan's mother had 11 siblings and their significant others there to greet him along with his wife's parents and families..What joy that must have been. Dan continues to visit his family on this earth as time passes via dreams as well as wide awake visitations. He waits for them to join him when their journeys on this earth have ended and they graduate to the next life.Oh the joy to see him once again and to hold him in their arms..
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