Cover photo for Daniel Navejas's Obituary
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1953 Daniel 2018

Daniel Navejas

December 4, 1953 — February 15, 2018

Daniel (Danny) Navejas, born on December 4, 1953, in El Paso, Texas, was called home by our Lord on February 15, 2018 at the age of 64. Danny was a proud alumnus of Austin High School (‘72), where he played for legendary basketball coach, Arvis Gladwell; Stanford University (B.S. Economics ‘76), where he met his first wife Margaret (Maggie) Palacios (Stanford, B.A. Psychology ’77); and the Stanford Business School (MBA ’82). Dad was a kind and gentle soul who always had an encouraging word for everyone; his smile was omnipresent; his laughter infectious, his intelligence and humility were revered, and above all else he never cared about money nor lost sight of what was important to him—his family, friends, and making memories. Because he lost my mother, Maggie Palacios, when he was 27 (she was 26) my dad understood better than most people that life is ephemeral and to make the most of the time you have on earth. I’m happy to say that he lived life to the fullest and relished every moment of his 64 years with us. When my mom was dying of acute myelogenous leukemia in 1981 my dad turned down job offers from Standard Oil, Bank of America, and Merrill Lynch so that he could hold my mom’s hand as she drew her last breaths. I’m happy to say that I was able to return the favor and hold my father’s hand as his time on earth came to an end. When I graduated from the University of Michigan Law School in 2006 my dad was unemployed—he retired from the El Paso Community College so that I could use his retirement money to move from El Paso, Texas to Ann Arbor, Michigan—and because he didn’t want to miss my graduation he borrowed the money to catch a greyhound bus and rode the bus 40+ hours to Ann Arbor from El Paso. He was an avid fan of boxing (we were in Las Vegas for numerous fights), horse racing (we were in Las Vegas for each of the last six Kentucky Derbies), golf (at his best maintaining a handicap of 4), basketball (attending numerous NCAA tournament games including the 2013 Final Four), football (his final game was the cowboys game on December 25, 2017), the Godfather Saga (he could quote many of the movie scenes verbatim), road trips (on multiple occasions driving for over 24 straight hours without stopping). He was a civil rights advocate in his Stanford days, and devoted his life to helping the less fortunate as reflected by his occupation, the Chief Financial Officer for the Opportunities Center for the Homeless for the last ten years. He was the best dad and friend that anyone could ever aspire to be. He will be greatly missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him, but neither he nor his legacy will ever be forgotten. He was preceded in death by his parents, Jesus Navejas and Mercedes Navejas; sister, Estela Bustillos; first wife, Maggie Palacios; and stepdaughter, Brenda Hernandez. He is survived by his second wife, Santa Ana Mendez; children, Daniel A. Navejas, JD, and Celeste J. Navejas; sisters, Mary Lou Duenez and Irene (Frank) Acosta; stepchildren, Gabriel Mendez, Sandra Hernandez, Abel Hernandez, Jorge Mendez, and Brian Bazari. Special thanks to the staff at William P. Clements, Jr. Hospital for the care they provided dad during his last weeks of life and to Pamela Hernandez and Jacqueline Truax whose tireless efforts allowed dad to be treated by a world class medical team. A visitation will be held from 2:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 04, 2018 at Sunset Funeral Home (Northeast location). Interment will be private.
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Service Schedule

Past Services

Public Visitation

Sunday, March 4, 2018

2:00 - 7:00 pm

Sunset Funeral Home Northeast

4631 Hondo Pass Drive, El Paso, TX 79904

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Funeral Service

Sunday, March 4, 2018

5:00 - 6:00 pm

Sunset Funeral Home Northeast

4631 Hondo Pass Drive, El Paso, TX 79904

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Cemetery

Private

TX

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