Wilbur J. Daniel

Wilbur J. Daniel, 70, passed away May 28, 2008, at his home in Cathedral City, shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. Born on September 14, 1937, in Petaluma, CA, he is survived by his former wife, Kyoko of San Francisco; daughter Sakaura Ko Fisher of San Francisco; son Eiji Danial of Bend, OR; several grandchildren. He is also survived his life partner of four years, Gene Menge. In 1957, he was inducted into the United States Air Force and spent the next four years in Japan where he met and married his former wife. In 1963, he returned to Camp Adair near Oregon State University where he attended classes until he was discharged. He then continued attending the University of Oregon and received his BA and Masters Degree in Library Science. For the next 12 years he served as a librarian in several schools and for the Douglas County school system in Oregon. In 1981, he moved to Oxnard, CA where he served as Children's Librarian in the Oxnard Public Library until he retired in 1996. At that time he moved to Palm Springs, CA and worked as a part-time librarian at Rancho Mirage Public Library until April 2008. In 1999, he became a docent at the Living Desert in Palm Desert, CA where among various duties he served as a storyteller and helped children feed the giraffes. In lieu of flowers, a donation to The Living Desert or the Friends of the Rancho Mirage Library would be appreciated. A Celebration of His Life will be held at the Living Desert on September 21, 2008 at 2:00PM.