Tributes

Dr. Daniel James DeGuire (Danny), grew up on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay in Fairhope, Alabama. He was the third of four children born to Alphonse (Al) DeGuire and Grace Rolle DeGuire. He is survived by his loving wife and life-partner for 35 years, Patricia (Patty) Brannon and her daughter Abbie Covenah (Dorsey); his sister, Joan North, and brothers, Mike and Matt DeGuire; his daughters, Laura Cooper (Madison) and Lani DeGuire (Sean Ripple); and his grandchildren Jayne and Nina. He was preceded in death by his parents and his grandson, Wiley. He attended McGill High School in Mobile, AL, where he was a track star and sports editor of the school newspaper. Upon graduation, he accepted an academic scholarship to St. Edward’s University in Austin, TX, where he majored in English and minored in speech/drama. After graduating in 1969, he received a fellowship to Trinity College in Washington D.C., where he earned his Master of Arts in Teaching degree in 1971. He returned to Mobile with his wife Nancy (Missy) Marochino and first daughter, Laura, to teach English, Speech, and Drama at Bishop State Community College. After three years, the young family moved to San Antonio, TX, where he taught English composition at San Antonio College, St. Phillip’s College, and Austin Community College. He would go on to serve as a district administrator in three of San Antonio’s public school systems—Edgewood ISD, Harlandale ISD, and Northside ISD. In 1979, he was awarded the Helen DeVitt Jones Leadership Fellowship to earn his Doctorate at Texas Tech University. The family, now including Alena (Lani), moved to Lubbock where he completed his doctoral studies in Curriculum and Instruction. Soon after, they returned to San Antonio where he worked and taught at San Antonio College and also served as the Director of Special Programs at Our Lady of the Lake University. Among his accomplishments in the field of education were the creation of an alternative high school for dropouts of all ages in Edgewood ISD (the External High School), the first Alternative Teacher Certification Program in San Antonio (Harlandale ISD’s ACP), and the nationally acclaimed Substitute Teacher Training Initiative in Northside ISD, where Danny worked in Human Resources and Staff Development for 30 years. Dr. DeGuire also wrote extensively during his career as an educator, publishing newsletters for the Weekend College at OLLU, and for the Human Resources departments at both Harlandale ISD and Northside ISD. In 2003, Danny married again, to Patty Brannon, following a 13-year courtship of love, joy, and mutual respect. It was the most significant and rewarding decision of his life. She made him feel like the luckiest man in the world. Danny enjoyed playing tennis and golf and was actually pretty good at racquetball when it was in vogue, having won first place in the Over-55 category in a local tournament. While working in Northside, Danny was a frequent “Celebrity Reader” during The Week of the Young Child and mentored several elementary students. After retirement from Northside ISD in 2018, ending a nearly 50-year dedication to the education profession, he enjoyed working in the yard with Patty and playing with their dog, Charlie. He and Patty loved having his girls and their families visit them in their home in San Antonio. He also started a home-based photographic services company specializing in photo restoration and small graphics and reprint projects. He is remembered as a kind and caring husband, brother, father, and grandfather, and someone with a “good eye” for photography. In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to the San Antonio Food Bank ~ https://safoodbank.org/donate/ or Inner City Development ~ https://www.innercitydevelopment.org/ The family will receive guests at 10:30 AM followed by the Service at 11:30 AM on Saturday, June 28, 2025 that all are welcome to attend. The visitation and service will take place at the Fred J. Tips Mausoleum Chapel located at the rear of Mission Burial Park North, 20900 I-10 East. Private interment for family members will follow at the cemetery.

Tributes

Dr. Daniel James DeGuire (Danny)

September 5, 1947 - June 10, 2025