Daniel Tsegaye Haile

Today we are gathered to celebrate the life of our dear friend and most beloved family member, Daniel Haile. Daniel was born to Mr. Tsegaye Haile and Ms. Tsega Gebre on August 8th, 1964 in Adi Keyh, Eritrea. He was brother to Haile, Negest, Jerusalem, and Beniam Tsegaye.

Daniel attended Shimeles Habte Elementary and High School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and graduated from Addis Ababa technical school in 1981 with a focus in building construction Technology. Later Daniel went on to attend California State University, Long Beach and acquired his Civil Engineering Degree. After Graduating he eventually went on to work as a Civil Engineer for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in 2000. In September of this year he was recognized for hitting his 20-year mark with his company, truly a significant milestone in his professional career. Daniel’s Caltrans career started  in District 4 with the offices of Traffic Systems, Traffic Management Center (TMC), Construction where he was instrumental on the new Bay Bridge eastern span construction, specifically, on the south-south detour construction, and later on joined the office of design south - special projects in 2005. Daniel was an  exemplar of an engineer. He -led his design team and collaborated with other branches to successfully deliver numerous projects. Daniel was married to Asmara Beyene in 2005, and they were blessed with a son, Simon Daniel, in June of 2006. Daniel’s pride and joy was his son, Simon, whose connection between them was not just father and son, but best friends.

Today we remember Daniel and his immensely generous soul. Daniel was known for his sense of humor, candor and openness. There are no words that accurately can convey what and who he was to so many of us. Daniel dedicated his time and energy to everyone, no questions asked. He went above and beyond to be a man of service to not only his loved ones, but to others through volunteering and advocacy. Specifically, to the Oakland Ethiopian community he acted as a son to many immigrant elders and a brother to many immigrant youths and provided services such as assisting in translations, immigration services, and notary services often free of charge. Daniel also donated blood to Red Cross and transported blood from blood banks to hospitals every Saturday. As many of you may know, 7 years ago, Daniel began to take care of 5 children in Ethiopia. With the help of his friends, family, and fellow engineers, Daniel has been able to provide these 5 children with clothes, food, materials for education, and tuition. Most recently despite living with asthma and the risk factors coupled with his immunocompromised system, he selflessly volunteered and took a leave of absence from his career to dedicate an entire year to work with a government task force in support of victims of Covid.

Daniel will be missed and never forgotten. He will live on in our memories and in the spirit of his son. His light shone too bright to ever be dimmed and will continue to shine in each and every one of the souls that he touched. We implore those of you who knew Danny or were personally affected by him to treat others with the same love and care he gave us and take on the responsibility of maintaining his light. May we find comfort in his passing and may he rest in peace.

Thank You.

Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://zoom.us/j/92445438742

Or iPhone one-tap :

US: +16699009128,,92445438742# or +12532158782,,92445438742#
Webinar ID: 924 4543 8742
International numbers available: https://zoom.us/u/aw2wYQjN