William L. Daniels

William L. Daniels, 97, passed away peacefully on September 28, 2025, at his home at Applewood Retirement Community in Amherst, MA.  He was born on July 27, 1928, in Memphis, Tennessee, son of the late Thomas B. and Grace L. (Laws) Daniels.Bill was married to his beloved wife, Margaret G. "Peggy" McDaniels, for an astonishing 73 years. Together, they built a warm and supportive family, which includes their cherished children, Ellen G. Quintin and her husband David of Northborough, MA, Susan G. Daniels of Pelham, MA and Thomas L. Daniels and his wife Holly David of Gales Ferry, CT.  He also leaves his 4 precious grandchildren, Chelsea G. Pribonic and her husband Chris, Hannah T. Crowl, Maxxwell T. Crowl and William “Will” B. Daniels and his wife Natalie.  Besides his parents, Bill was predeceased by his son, Peter B. Daniels, his brother, John Thomas Daniels and by his granddaughter, Sarah Daniels. Bill was raised in Memphis, TN and received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Vanderbilt University.  He enlisted in the US Army during the Korean War, attending the Army Language School in Monterey, CA. He was a member of the musician’s union and was a jazz drummer in New York City, training and playing with Buddy Rich’s teacher, Lennie Tristano.   After deciding that the lifestyle of a musician wasn’t the best for a married man, Bill decided to pursue a life in academia and earned his Ph.D. in English at Harvard University, specializing in Irish Literature.  His career as a college professor began at Newton College of the Sacred Heart (which later merged with Boston College), and he eventually moved back to Memphis with his family to teach at Rhodes College. One of his students recounted the powerful lesson Bill taught her: “Just be yourself.  Speak your truth; don’t try to impress anybody.  Say what you know. That is good enough.” In his retirement, he and Peggy moved to Cape Cod where he cherished his time there with his wife, children and grandchildren at the Sea Street Beach in East Dennis. They relocated again to Northfield, MA from 1997-2020 to help raise their grandchildren and then in 2020 made their final home in Amherst.  A devout Catholic, William was a loyal parishioner at St. Patrick's Church in South Hadley. Calling hours will be held on Mon., October 6th, from 4:00 to 6:00 PM at the Beers & Story South Hadley Funeral Home. A Funeral Mass will be held on Tuesday, October 7th at 10:00 AM at St. Patrick's Church in South Hadley, please meet directly at the church. Bill will be laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery in South Hadley.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Cooley Dickinson Hospice at https://giving.vnaandhospice.org/