Daniel Stratford

October 8, 1939 - November 16, 2024

Daniel Stratford, 85, long-time Downey resident passed away on November 16, 2024.

He was born on October 8, 1939 in Chicago, Illinois to John Allen and Mary Eleanor Stratford in Chicago, Illinois. He was one of seven children; the family of nine left Chicago to grow up in the suburbs of Southern California, beginning in Compton and then ending up in Downey, CA, where Daniel raised his four children and continued to reside there until his death.

Daniel lived in several parts of Downey with his first wife, sending his older children Scott and Cari to Warren High School and then sending his son, Mitchell to Downey High School. All three kids enjoyed activities in the city, including Downey Ponytail and Pop Warner Football.

Daniel married his wife Nancy in 1981, and she would be the love of his life. They had a daughter, Kelly, who would attend and then later teach at Downey High School.

Daniel was a man of faith and worshipped at both Saint Raymond’s and Our Lady of Help Perpetual Churches during his residency in Downey.

In addition to his dedication to his family and the church, one of his most intense loyalties was to the University of Southern California. Daniel and his large extended family shared many exciting experiences at the Coliseum where they celebrated (and mourned) countless USC football games. As the Stratford siblings got older, they stopped attending games in-person but would watch the games on television and then engage in lively phone calls following the wins and losses. In fact, on what would be his last afternoon, Daniel watched USC beat Nebraska alongside his twin sister, Dorothy, and share the reverie with his other siblings on the phone; for many of them, this was a final happy memory with their brother.

Daniel was a tenacious man as he had to endure much tragedy in his long life, most notably the loss of his teenaged son, Scott, in a traffic accident and then the loss of his beloved wife, Nancy, after her painful battle with cancer. Through these tragedies, he looked to his faith and his family for guidance and support. He continued to choose to live and enjoy the simpler things in life regardless of his own health-related setbacks.

He is survived by his three living children and two sons-in-law Cari and Will Welliver, Mitchell Stratford, and Kelly and Ricardo Crespo; his three grandchildren Alexandra Mears, Megan Holzer, and Abigail Crespo; and his three great-grandchildren Jack Holzer, Charlie Mears, and Scottie Mears along with his living siblings, Jack, Barbara, Dorothy, and Bill and his many nephews and nieces.

Services for Daniel will be on at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on January 7, 2025.