Nancy McDaniel

1966 - 2024

Nancy McDaniel
11/09/1966 - 10/23/2024
Nancy Kessler McDaniel was born in Portland, Oregon to Donald and Marilyn Kessler, the youngest of their five children. She passed away after a courageous battle with breast cancer, in Oakland, California, her home for the past 30 years.
Nancy grew up in Portland, and sports were always in her life, starting early. She played basketball for LaSalle High School and in her senior year helped lead the team to a high school state championship. Nancy herself earned first-team all-state honors.
Golf however was the sport that played the biggest part in Nancy's life – she was a player, coach, a volunteer, and the wife of Jay McDaniel, a PGA head golf professional. Nancy started golf at a young age, playing and winning junior golf tournaments in Oregon.
Nancy competed for the University of Washington golf team from 1984 to 1988. She was the Husky women's golf team captain, a collegiate All-American, and was chosen for the Pac-10 All-Decade Team.
After college, Nancy played professionally for five years, but left tour golf to found the University of California Berkeley women's golf team, where she was the head coach for 29 seasons. While there, she led the Golden Bears to 10 NCAA Championship appearances, 22 NCAA regional appearances, and two conference championships. Nancy's contributions to the game of golf were recognized by her inductions into the National College Golf Coaches Hall of Fame and the Cal Athletics Hall of Fame. Nancy was also recently inducted into the Northern California Golf Association Hall of Fame.
But to those who knew her as "coach," Nancy will be remembered simply as a treasured leader, advisor, and friend.
Nancy's life's work went beyond the nuts and bolts of guiding the golf team – empowering young women was her great passion. Her direct mentorship has resulted in six of her former players following in her footsteps as head coaches at Division I women's golf programs across the country. Nancy touched the lives of many women golfers at all levels of play. In addition, Nancy was the force behind the Cal Summer Golf Camp for kids, where she insisted access be given to all aspiring golfers regardless of the family's income level. She also ran the local LPGA girls' golf camp, which was free to all participants. Several weeks before her passing, Nancy was enthusiastically learning to work with disabled veterans on the golf course. Her desire to give back was ever present.
Being an athlete was how Nancy saw herself, and staying active was definitely part of who she was. When she wasn't at work, chances were good she was taking a run or a walk, swimming at the Claremont Country Club where Jay was the Director of Golf, grabbing a round of golf or taking a hike with friends or family. Being a mom and a wife were at the core of Nancy's being, and she was devoted to her children, Tyler and Molly, and her husband Jay.
She'll be remembered as quick to laugh, always positive, direction-oriented, clear in what she thought, and full of energy and strength. Those who knew her will not forget the fun, light, warmth and humor she brought into every room. Her determination and courage in the face of adversity were an inspiration not only to her family but to everyone who knew her. Although she always projected strength, her capacity for love ran deep. Nancy will be greatly missed.
Nancy is survived by her husband Jay McDaniel, and children Tyler and Molly of Oakland, as well as her siblings Ann Culhane, David Kessler, and Scott Kessler, and her uncle Kurt Kessler. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Thomas Kessler.
A mass will be held for Nancy at St. Theresa Church, 30 Mandalay Road, Oakland, on Friday, November 15th, at 11 a.m. Following the mass, a Celebration of Life will begin at 1 p.m. at The Claremont Country Club in Oakland. Please note and observe Claremont's dress code policy. https://claremontcountryclub.com/dress-code-policy
In lieu of flowers, the McDaniel family request donations to two organizations in Nancy's honor: Play for Her, to support the fight against breast cancer, and The University of California Women's golf team, for the Nancy McDaniel Legacy Fund.
https://app.99pledges.com/fund/2024playforher.
https://give.berkeley.edu/fund/FU0754000. (If mailing checks please make them out to: UC Berkeley Regents, Memo line: Cal Women's Golf, McDaniel, and send to: Cal Athletics Fund, attn: David Gilreath, 195 Hass Pavilion, Berkeley, CA 94720-4422.)