James Danny Babb

Danny was born in Greenville, South Carolina on July 27th, 1945. He lived in Greenville until age seven and then moved to Southern California with his family. His family lived in Inglewood, Hawthorne and then settled in Lawndale. He attended elementary school and high school in Lawndale. At a young age it was evident that he was a visionary, full of creative ideas and big dreams.

As he entered his teen years, he was extremely focused on becoming a businessman and joined the Junior Achievement Program offered at Lawndale High. He quickly demonstrated the characteristics of a leader and excelled in the program. He developed his salesmanship skills by selling greeting cards, door to door while in school. By the time he graduated he was the president of his local Junior Achievement and along with his fellow members, started an actual business called Plasti-Tags which sold key chains. As a result of its success, Danny received numerous awards, had newspaper articles written about him and Plasti-Tag was recognized as the Junior Achievements Regional Business of the Year.

After High School, Danny took his experience and began to work within the world of fashion. His first job was with May Co. on Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles. Once again, his leadership and creative mindset would quickly cause him to rise through the ranks. Men’s fashion would become his forte. After being promoted to men’s Department Manager, he was approached by a fellow co-worker who had a vision to open a custom clothing store. Danny didn’t hesitate to take advantage of this opportunity. Jon Merten Custom Clothing was born and went on to clothe many celebrities, athletes, and businesspeople from their Century City location. Eventually, Danny would open his own custom clothing store in Torrance where he resided. Daniel James Custom Clothing would serve the South Bay’s doctors, lawyers and businessmen with expertly crafted shirts, suits and accessories. He continued to make cloths for people until health issues made it impossible for him to continue.

Danny’s artistic talent and expertise didn’t stop with fashion. He became a master gardener transforming his rental and personal properties into beautifully landscaped works of art. Once again, he received numerous beautification awards both in the cities of Lawndale and Torrance. For the birthdays of family and friends, as well as holidays, Danny would always come with the most beautiful flower arrangements and perfectly wrapped gifts. Christmas time was particularly important to him, and his personally decorated Christmas trees were visual masterpieces, like something right out of a magazine.

Unfortunately, Danny was involved in a few serious auto collisions, none of which were his fault. One was a head-on crash, and he was rear ended twice. As a result, over time, the injuries he sustained would eventually take their toll on his body. He experienced debilitating back and neck pain and underwent two major surgeries, which were unsuccessful in relieving his pain. He never gave up on living, but life was becoming increasingly restrictive as his mobility decreased. By his early 70’s he was beginning to show signs of dementia which enviably made it necessary for him to be moved into a memory care facility.

Danny spent the last three and a half years of his life as a resident of Silverado Memory Care in Redondo Beach. There, he became one of the staff’s favorite residents, sharing stories about his life and experiences and even inspiring them to create a “Fashion Club” segment as part of the activity options for the residents. He passed away on May 19th, 2026.

Since Danny was never married and had no children, he spent his life pursuing numerous passions. He traveled and undoubtingly was always willing to help others look and feel their best. He will be missed by all who were touched by his influence, kindness and desire to make life better for all around him.