‘Only the Good Die Young’

Daley is described as an incredible person on and off the field, an extremely outgoing person, very intelligent, and one who always liked to have fun. He was larger than life, a magnet of energy and laughter. He possessed humor and leadership to the maximum.

A junior in business honors, Jennifer Abramo wrote on her Facebook how nice Daley was and how glad she was to have had the pleasure of knowing him.

“His laugh and charm could brighten a room.”

Donavion Thomas, a business honors student said even though he didn’t know much about Daley, the two always said ‘what’s up’ to each other in their passings. “We were both a part of the business honors program,” Thomas said. “He was just a nice down to earth kid.”

To show how smart he was, Cinelli and Young say that if either of them had trouble with homework or studying, Daley would drop whatever he was doing and help them.

Young, not sure of what Daley wanted to do after college, said, “Whatever it was, I know he would’ve been successful, that’s for sure.”

Cinelli added, “He never failed, and if he did, he always gave it his best.”

Nalbone and Young agree that Daley always found a way to make fun out of everything they did.

“Anytime we were with him, he made us laugh no matter what, and that was one of the many traits that made him so great,” Nalbone said.

Young and Cinelli instantly thought of Daley with his song to walk onto the field.

“It was always ‘Goofy Goober,’ from the SpongeBob SquarePants movie,” Young said.

Cinelli added, “And that was by choice.”

Cinelli and Young also say that by choice, Daley chose to wear a highlighter headband, which Young says, “Not many people wear headbands, but he did.”

Whenever Daley noticed the people around him were struggling or needed a ‘pick me up,’ he tried his best to help them.

“He always had a remedy to turn a bad situation into a better one,” Cinelli said.

Nalbone says, “Whenever I’d be struggling with pitching, he’d come to me and would just make a joke to make me laugh and lighten up the mood.”

“He always reminded me to have fun playing the game.”

**

Finding out that your son, brother, best friend, and teammate has passed is heartbreaking. It’s even more heartbreaking when you realize that the kid who was full of life and energy is now gone forever. To honor his life, the Daley family asked everyone who was coming to pay their respects, to wear bright, light colors to remember the brightness their son brought into their lives.

“He never failed at putting a smile on someone’s face.”

A few days after Daley’s passing, the entire Mercy community pulled together and held a candle lighting and memorial for him. It was held on the Mercy field by home plate; there, friends and teammates came together to remember Daley’s life, regardless of how painful it was.

“There was actually a shocking number of people at the gathering we had on the field for him,” Nalbone said. “So many people cared about him and he meant a lot to many of us.”

He admits that when the Maverick family all came together, it helped the grieving process become easier.

“He was such a huge part of the Maverick family,” Nalbone said. “I love him.”

“Still do, to this day.”