Earl McDaniel passes away

Earl McDaniel, former BJ deputy Metro editor in 2001-02, who passed away June 19, has been added belatedly to the BJ Memory Wall.

Earl McDaniel

Kent State Journalism/Mass Communication associate professor Mitch McKenney relayed the sad news.  Mitch was at the BJ with Earl when New York City’s Twin Towers were brought down by terrorists.

Earl lived in North Versailles, Pennsylvania. He had esophageal cancer.

After leaving Ol’ Blue Walls, Earl worked for the Pittsburgh Zoo, taught writing and published a novel. He also was a Maplewood high school English teacher and American Legion baseball coach. He was a graduate of Clarion State College in Pennsylvania.

He was buried in Mount Vernon Cemetery in McKeesport, Pennsylvania.

Earl’s belated obituary:

Earl “Gar” H. McDaniel Jr., age 65, of North Versailles, passed away Monday, June 19, 2017.

He was a noted writer and author that published the novel Between Lives, as well a respected teacher and an editor for numerous newspapers in Pa., Ohio and Va.

He is preceded in death by his parents Earl and Doris McDaniel. He is survived by his sister Nancy (Steve) VanAuken; niece Courtney (Yoon) Weaver and their children Evan and Abigail and niece Whitney Walker; as well as many close friends. Friends and family will be received on Friday, June 23 from 2 to 4 p.m., and from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Forgie-Snyder Funeral Home, 1032 Broadway, East McKeesport, 412-823-8083. A funeral service will be held there on Saturday at 11 a.m., with Rev. Dr. Ronald H. Wakeman officiating. Interment will follow at Mt. Vernon Cemetery in Elizabeth Township.

Memorial contributions can be made to either the Pittsburgh Zoo at www.pittsburghzoo.org or the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center at 5115 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15232. For online condolences please visit www.snyderfuneralservices.com .