David William Daniel passed away peacefully in the arms of his wife and daughter at the Care Dimensions Hospice House in Lincoln, Massachusetts following a long battle with pulmonary fibrosis and a long life marked by many achievements and adventures.

Born in Boston on February 25, 1945, David was raised in Weymouth and graduated from Weymouth High School in 1963. In high school, he developed a deep fascination with biology, working as a lab assistant at Harvard Medical School and imagining a future in science. But by the end of his first year of college, as he later said, he had been “seduced by literature,” and changed course to major in English.

That decision shaped the rest of his life. He earned an M.A. in English at the University of Maine, where he wrote weekly newspaper columns, first as an undergraduate and later in graduate school for The Campus, under the title “Impression.” After graduation, he was offered two college teaching positions, but before he could begin, he was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam era. Serving as a journalist, he wrote stories about the lives of soldiers — work that foreshadowed the empathy and attentiveness that would define both his writing and his relationships.

David later entered a Ph.D. program at the University of Oregon, though his interests increasingly shifted from literary criticism to creative writing. In 1973, his first book, Axolotl, a collection of poems illustrated with woodcuts by artist Fred Widmer, was published.

Over the next three decades, David built a remarkable dual career as both teacher and writer. He served as Associate Chair of Arts & Sciences at Newbury College and later as the Jack Kerouac Visiting Writer in Residence at UMass Lowell. After leaving higher education in 2000, eager for a new challenge, he spent ten years teaching English and physical education at the Lowell Middlesex Charter School for at-risk students.

Throughout it all, he continued to write prolifically: over ten novels, including an award-winning mystery series; more than 200 short stories later collected in four volumes; and hundreds of Boston Globe essays, reviews, and columns.

David also embraced fitness, sports and travel. As a young man, he surfed, played tournament-level tennis, coached the men’s tennis team at Eastern Nazarene College, and for many years was an avid runner. He traveled widely, visiting more than 25 countries over the course of his life. Some of his happiest experiences were shared with his beloved wife, Stephanie. Together they explored new places, new cultures, and built a life grounded in curiosity, companionship, and enduring love.

In 2006, David was inducted into the Weymouth High School Hall of Fame. He received outstanding teaching awards at both Newbury College and UMass Lowell. Believing deeply in “the inestimable value of public libraries,” he served two terms on the JV Fletcher Library Board of Trustees and also served on the Alumni Board at the Lowell Middlesex Academy Charter School.

David was one of the founding members of Tamarack Writers, a group that gathered each summer in the Adirondacks beginning in the mid-1970s.

He maintained a wide and loyal circle of friends — writers, musicians, photographers, actors, filmmakers, former students, and fellow travelers — many friendships spanning six decades. He stayed closely connected with friends from his Weymouth High School days and with the “band of brothers” from his Army years.

In recent years, David gradually moved away from fiction and toward personal essays and “think pieces.” He contributed to The Boston Globe Ideas section and to The Arts Fuse, writing reviews of books and films.

David was a mentor not only to generations of students, but also to younger writers finding their way. Listening with an open and inquisitive mind, he gently guided them in pursuing their dreams and refining their craft.

Above all, David cherished his family. Nothing mattered more to him than his wife Stephanie and their daughter, Alexandra. He relished spending time with them, engaging in stimulating conversations, sharing meals, stories, music, and laughter, and simply being present with the people he loved most. The warmth, wit and kind-heartedness he brought to his family life was the same generosity he extended to everyone around him.

His final book, Beach Town Stories, loosely inspired by his South Shore upbringing and lovingly dedicated to Stephanie, carried an Emerson quote on its frontispiece: “Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink the wild air.” The line captures much of David’s spirit — his optimism, openness, curiosity, and joy in living.

In one story from the collection, a character reflects that “Always Summer Somewhere” would make a fitting epitaph. Friends and family know how profoundly that phrase captures David’s enduring faith in life and his optimistic nature.

David is survived by his cherished wife of 40 years, Stephanie (Jannakas) Daniel of Westford; his beloved daughter, Alexandra (“Ally”) of Woburn, Massachusetts; his brothers Jack L. Daniel (Kathryn) of Richmond, Maine and Mark Daniel (Janice) of Quincy, Massachusetts; as well as brothers-in-law Antonios Jannakas, Arthur Jannakas and Norman Vangel, sister-in-law, Katherine Jannakas Vangel, seven nieces, extended family, and many loyal friends, all of whom had a special place in his life.

He was predeceased by his beloved parents Jack and Anne Daniel of Weymouth, Massachusetts.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in David’s name to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (pulmonaryfibrosis.org).

A celebration of life for David will be held in the early summer. Details to be announced at a later date.