Sophie Eloise Daniel

DURHAM - Sophie Eloise Daniel, 55, passed away January 8, 2010 at the Duke Hock Pavilion in Durham, NC after a courageous and brave battle with cancer. Sophie was born January 17, 1954 in Alexandria, Virginia to the late Katherine Dusenberry Daniel and David Oscar Daniel, Jr. She spent most of her childhood in Durham, NC. She was a 1973 graduate of Jordan High School, a 1973 Debutante, and a 1977 graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill. Upon graduation, she worked for the State of NC in the library system of UNC-Chapel Hill for about 10 years. She relocated to the Washington DC area where she attended Gallaudet Uneersity. In the DC area, she worked for various non-profit groups and the State of Maryland as a vocational rehabilitation counselor. She entered civil service federal employment working for the Department of the Army as an equal employment opportunity specialist. In this capacity, she worked for a year in Wurzburg, Germany. She retired on disability from the Federal Government in 2008 after her cancer diagnosis. She sought treatment for her cancer at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas where she lived for about 16 months. She knew no one when she moved to Texas but met many wonderful people who helped her in various ways as she went through various cancer treatments. Sophie loved to travel and traveled extensively in Europe during her employment ineermany. She was a seeker of knowledge, inquisitive about the world around her and pushed herself to participate in as many life experiences as she could. Her favorite pastimes were collecting books and knitting. She belonged to various knitting groups. Sophie was a member of Epworth Uneed Methodist Church in Durham and a member of the DAR chapter in the Washington, DC area. Sophie is survived by her brother David O. Daniel, III of Chicago, Illinois, her sister Katherine Kathy Daniel Chaney of Durham, NC, her nephew Steven Chaney of Chicago, Illinois and her niece Jenneer Chaney Killingsworth of Jacksonville, NC. A memorial service will be offered at 2 PM on Saturday, January 16, 2010 in the sanctuary of Epworth Uneed Methodist Church, 3002 Hope Valley Road, Durham, NC. The Reverend Hope Vickers will preside. Family will receive friends in the Fellowship Hall immediately after the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to MD Anderson Cancer Center at P.O. Box 4486, Houston, Texas or Duke Community Hospice, 4321 Medical Park Drive, Suite 101, Durham, NC 27704. Arrangements for the Daniel family are under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service. Memorials may be submitted online at www.hallwynne.com, select obituaries.