Benny S. Daniels, the son of Mary (Tinnes) Warrick and Dave Daniels, stepson of Clyde Warrick, passed from this life January 31, 2025 at the age of 76 following a brief illness.
Born Gary Lee Daniels on December 9, 1948 at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Aurora, Illinois, Benny spent his early childhood living with his family in the home of his grandfather, Louis Daniels, at 322 Harrison Street in West Chicago, Illinois. Benny, then known as Gary, explored the neighborhood with his sisters Donna and Debbie, cousins and neighbors.
Following the separation and eventual divorce of his parents, his mother married Clyde Warrick in 1960, a surveyor from Elmhurst, Illinois. Gary was in 5th grade when the family moved to a new home at 442 E. Washington Street in West Chicago. The next year, he had a new baby sister, Julie, born in July, 1961. When his father Dave remarried, Dave’s wife Billie, and her children Curt, Jackie, and Don became his step family, relationships that continued the rest of their lives.
According to legend, Gary had his famously wiry hair straightened. When his best friend Ivan pointed to the similarity between the newly quaffed Gary and the film West Side Story’s character Bernardo, the nickname stuck. Later the moniker was shortened to Benny, the name he would call himself and be known by for the rest of his life.
At Community High School (West Chicago) Benny formed many lifelong friendships with classmates, Tommy Dieter and Jan (Mason) Monroe among them. In remembering Benny, Jan said, “Benny was a great person and a great friend to everybody. And he did enjoy life.” Tommy said, “I think of the joy in his life and the joy he brought to other people. He had a very good life and people really loved him.”
Benny’s work life started in high school. He got a job in the sewer and water business with the Smith family in West Chicago. Following graduation in 1967, Benny continued to work in the sewer and water business, joining the laborers union.
In 1969, at the height of the Vietnam War, Benny presented himself at the local draft board and offered to take the place of his employer’s son, Bill Smith, who was recently married and expecting his first child. The government rejected Benny’s proposal. Regardless, Benny soon found himself in uniform as a private in the United States Army.
According to fellow West Chicago draftee Tommy Dieter, “Benny and I were drafted February 11, 1969. By 5:30 a.m. the next morning we found ourselves at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, standing in line to get our heads shaved. At the time, Benny sported a large, wiry afro hairstyle. The Colonel happened to walk by, spotted Benny and instructed a subordinate to wait until he got back before shaving Private Daniels’ hair. “I want to see this,” the officer smiled.
From basic training at Fort Bragg, Benny wrote a series of letters to his mother in West Chicago, chronicling his experiences.
Mom,
Greetings from the delinquent member of your widely scattered family! …See you soon! (I hope!) Love, Benny.
On the reverse side of the envelope he wrote, “1…2…3…4..: WE DON’T WANT YOUR (blank) WAR!”
During his time in the Army, he landed a job taking care of boilers at a military school based out of Fort Belvoir, Virginia. Benny and his fellow boilermakers worked out a schedule that allowed him the freedom to travel, visiting Washington D.C., coming home to West Chicago for a brief visit, and almost making it to Woodstock.
After the Army, Benny returned to West Chicago and resumed his work with the laborers union, continuing a career that spanned more than 4 decades in the field of sewer and water. He moved into a house owned by the Moore family on Washington Street across from his parents. The “Hotel”, as it was known, was a haven for young people navigating their way through the tumultuous early 1970’s. It was during this period that he became longtime friends with Randy Lewis, a Vietnam War veteran.
“Benny was a hard working and hard playing young man,” Randy recalled. “We spent a lifetime showing the world that you can dress the way you want, regardless of what people think. Benny’s loyalty was unmatched, whether that was with friends or in his work, he never wavered.” He and Randy also developed a love for motorcycles. When they could afford it, they purchased Harley Davidsons. Together they would join weekend bike rallies known as poker runs, riding from pub to pub.
In 1982 Benny became a father to his only daughter, April (Daniels) Gotzler. Later in life the two would enjoy excursions to Badger football games, bicoastal road trips, and even an adventure abroad to England together where they visited fellow Harley Davidson enthusiasts he had befriended during an annual trek to Daytona’s Bike Week. Also during this decade, he built and designed a log home on five acres of property overlooking the Fox River in Plano, Illinois. Benny continued to live in the home he loved until his death.
Following his retirement, he split his time between Illinois and Florida, visiting friends, riding his motorcycle, helping others with various construction projects, and enjoying life. Randy recalled, “When I started a non profit called The South Florida Sanctuary Project, we ran the Lake Worth Burrito Project, feeding area homeless people. Benny often helped serve the guests, cooking sausages on a grill.”
When his step-father, Clyde became ill, Benny hosted an epic, bucket list road trip in his RV with Clyde, Mary, sisters Julie and Donna, and his brother in law Peter, touring the Badlands National Park, Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills. In 2022 he made his final road trip to Florida with friend Michael Perso, son of Jan Monroe. They were able to visit old haunts and see many old friends.
Benny is survived by his daughter, April (Daniels) Gotzler; two granddaughters, Quinn and Ainsley; his sisters Donna (Siech), Debbie (Daniels), and Julie (Frakes); his stepbrothers Curt and Don Barnes; and many nieces & nephews. He is preceded in death by his mother and father, Mary (Tinnes) Warrick and Dave Daniels, his stepfather Clyde Warrick, his stepmother Billie (Barnes) Daniels, and his stepsister Jackie (Barnes) Sheffer.
A memorial service is currently planned for the spring of 2025 at Benny’s home on the Fox River in Yorkville, Illinois.
