When it came to his 70 grandchildren, 58 great-grandchildren, and 28 great-great-grandchildren, Charles Daniel claimed each and every one of them as his own. Though some of them came into the Daniel fold through blended marriages, he believed family was family.
“He always had some wisdom to pass on to the younger ones, and us too,” said Gwendolyn Porter, one of his eight children. “He said they were all his kids, and they all needed love.”
Mr. Daniel, of Mableton, died Oct. 2 from complications of a fall days earlier. He was 76. His body was cremated and a memorial service was held Saturday. The Alfonso Dawson Mortuary was in charge of arrangements.
Born in Athens, Mr. Daniel worked as a street sweeper in Atlanta and a used car salesman for at least 20 years, his daughter said. He drove the street sweeper at night and sold cars during the day. And he managed the money he made from those jobs so that he could give his kids and grandkids a little money here and there.
“When we’d plan trips, he’d give us money so we could take the kids to Florida and places like that,” Mrs. Porter said. “He didn’t want to go, but he did want to help us get there.”
Mr. Daniel also wanted to see the younger generations of his family succeed, so he talked to them every time any of them stopped in for a visit. He talked about the importance of being patient, following the rules, and doing what is right.
“He’d tell them, ‘You do what you know is right, not what somebody else tells you is right,’” his daughter said. “He told them to think for themselves.”
And it wasn’t just the younger generations that he took the time to bond with, said his brother-in-law, Charles Shields. Mr. Daniel was married to Mr. Shields’ sister, but many who saw the men together thought they were brothers.
“He was a friend, and I say it like that because that seems like the hardest thing in the world to find,” Mr. Shields said. “He didn’t treat me like a brother-in-law, he treated me like we were true family, better than family, even.”
In addition to his daughter and three generations of grandchildren, Mr. Daniel is survived by his wife Ola Mae Daniel of Mableton; sons, Ricky L. Daniel of Orlando, Fla., Fredrick L. Daniel of Atlanta, Harry L. Daniel of Powder Springs, Charles A. Daniel Jr. of Atlanta and Antiono Jackson of College Park; daughters, Cynthia L. Daniel of East Point, Elydia S. Flannigan of Atlanta; step-father, Orville Parks of Atlanta; brothers Calvin Daniel Sr. and Richard Parks, both of Atlanta; and sister Deborah Gunter of Athens.
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