I was quite taken aback when I heard of Danny's passing.  I knew Danny over the years as a colleague while doing Indigenous work as well socially at BCWWA conferences.  Danny was a kind and gentle person.

My condolences to family and friends for their loss.  Danny was one of the good ones and will be missed.

Danny being a good sport like always, wearing my summer straw hat, in 2017.

Don, Helen, Ted, Iris, Geoff and Danny getting together for an afternoon of socializing in 2021.

Friends from work: Ted, Bahar, Danny, Cham, Iris and Don, enjoying a 2010 Olympics men's hockey game watching Canada beat Germany.

Here's our Danny, receiving his complimentary birthday sundae at Red Robin a few years ago.  You can't see them, but the staff are gathered singing him a special birthday song.  I miss you, Danny.

Having a good catch up with Danny, April 2023.

I first met Danny in Terrace in 2007 during a Drinking Water Safety gathering of water operators in northern BC. There was a blizzard and a power outage and everyone was weathered in for a few days.  I was pretty new to the job at the time.  Danny was the kind of person that became your friend, instantly. He took time to answer my work questions and was game to have a conversation about anything really. He showed interest in everything and was a captivating story teller.  (photo credit: Neil Nabata)

Danny and I were in Chemical Engineering together at UBC. I also worked with him as part of a small project team in our fourth year. Danny was always cheerful and worked so well with everyone. My sincere condolences to family, friends and co-workers. We lost one of the great ones. 

Marlene Anderson
UBC chem Eng Class of 1990

I was shocked and deeply saddened when I heard of Dann’ss passing. I have known him for over 20 years professionally and . as so many others have said considered him a friend. His infectious love of life and ready smile  always made him a favourite with everybody. It seems unbelievable that he won’t be at the golf tournament this year as he was such a fixture. I sent sincere condolences to all his family

Valerie Jenkinson.

My condolences and prayers for Danny’s family. 
 I am saddened beyond words. Danny Higashitani was one of the best people I have ever met.  It was because of his continuous support that i stayed in the water industry as long as I have. Thank you Danny for your mentorship, your kindness and your professionalism. 
You will never be forgotten.

From June Williams
Water treatment operator

Danny was active in the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, and is remembered by all his Engineering colleagues. We will miss his friendship.

Danny,
May you rest in Peace and in the love of the Lord, you have given enough. Your efforts to make Canada a better place for Indigenous people will never be truly measured correctly. I will remember.  Your efforts will be missed and I am sure it will be hard to replace you. 
I would like to share that I will miss you a lot. Your help, your commitment to the cause and the purposeful work you did will be remembered by those you taught and those you helped. To those that are left behind I hope Danny can help you manage this loss. To all the workers that you, Danny, touched I pray they will remember you too.

I was fortunate to interact with Danny through work and social events. He was always incredibly kind, generous and helpful. He was full of interesting stories and always made everyone laugh and feel comfortable. The last time I saw Danny in person was at a restaurant socializing after a work event and he was challenging the table to balance a pitcher of water using 3 cups and 3 knives. Challenge accepted! We were stubborn, tried many failed efforts, but eventually gave up. I'm still impressed at the stability of the solution. We shared a taxi home, saying we should all get together more often.

My sincere condolences to  Higashitani family.   Danny was many things and one thing that stands out is that he was kind and treated everyone with respect.   He always took time to hello, remember what you last spoke about; and, all done genuine kindness. He will always be our gentle giant with a huge heart.   Danny will be missed dearly and may he rest in peace.

Dear Higashitani Family,
My deepest condolences to you on the passing of Danny.  I did not work directly with Danny but thru our many interactions, he always had a warm and friendly smile that made you feel welcome.  He was truly a people’s person and well regarded by his colleagues.  He  lived life fully and  touched all our lives deeply which is a cherish gift to us all.   Wishing you comforting thoughts and peace during this difficult time.  Sincerely, Kim Eng

We were so shocked and saddened to hear of Danny’s passing and extend our condolences to his family and his many friends.
 
Danny was a great friend. He had so many friends from all corners of the world - high school, the Federal Government, many First Nations communities, UBC Engineering and hockey. He was humble, kind and so generous.  Danny was always the first to reach for the cheque every time we were out.  I literally had to rip the bill out of his hands to try to pay!
 
I met Danny over 35 years ago at UBC when we were both studying Chemical Engineering, and then also connected with him through ("Hamburger") intramural hockey.  Danny was a great hockey player, and again ever so generous on and off the ice.  
 
In his travels, Danny sent us numerous post-cards.  Unknown to me, my wife had kept many of these and we just re-read them over the last couple of weeks.  Danny relayed so many stories in great detail.  His postcards didn't just say "here I am, having fun", but instead Danny wrote in his perfect 8-point printing, stories describing how "I got to crew on an America's Cup yacht" in New Zealand or how he "was rewarded with a beautiful sunrise after getting up at 1:00 AM to head for the summit" of Mount Fuji, Japan.  Our postcard collection from Danny includes Malaysia - 1996; Singapore - 1996; Bali - 1997; New Zealand - 2000; Kilimanjaro - 2002; and Japan - 2006.
 
We often got together with a small group of friends from UBC (including Ray J, Paul D, and Walt P) or went to a Canucks game when I or Danny got tickets. Through his many, many connections, Danny always seemed to be able to get tickets!  And he always asked about my wife Susan and our boys.
 
We have so many photos with Danny.  I'm including one taken at UBC home-coming in September 2023, with Danny; Ray J; Dr. James Olson, Dean of UBC Applied Science; me and our son Ryan.
 
Rest in peace Danny.  We all really miss you.
 
Ken, Susan, Ryan and Robert Carrusca

Photo originally taken by our coworker Ken Ng who has since retired.

I am deeply sorry to hear about Danny's passing. It's evident that he touched the lives of many, including the communities I’ve worked in as CEO over the span of 25 years. 

His presence in the indigenous services, Vancouver Regional Office brought a unique warmth and humanity, making him irreplaceable. 

The loss of such a kind and approachable person  leaves a void that will be difficult to fill. While the world may seem dimmer for his family without him, may they find solace in knowing that his passion for the indigenous communities he served will always be remembered by those of us that knew and respected him in that role. I know his spirit will remain with us.

My heartfelt condolences go out to Danny's family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Danny was a friend, colleague and mentor who will be dearly missed.  I’ve been blessed to know Danny for about 15 years.  He had a huge influence on my life and career. Danny was a touchstone and an inspiration to me.  Over the years I also heard repeatedly about the huge impact he made in the lives of so many others.  His legacy as an advocate for Indigenous communities, and the kindest of souls, won’t be forgotten.

I am shocked and still in disbelief at the sudden loss of our beloved friend and coworker.  Danny had been my next cubicle coworker since 2002 until Covid hit.  We saw each other and went for our group coffee break together daily for almost two decades.  Danny had been an irreplaceable member of our day time family in the office.  Whatever he did, he made a hit.  His presence, kindness , generosity and sense of humor greatly contributed to our friendly office morale and made our office attractive to work in.
Beside work, Danny was keen in supporting young engineering students in their professional development.  He regularly attended UBC engineering student-industry mixers where he’d share his experience and offer insights on how to pursue their career in the engineering field.  
Danny had a wealth of knowledge in almost every field, just like the encyclopedia, and he loved to share with others.  In fact, I called him just a few days before he passed away, discussing about a project as well as consulting him about my upcoming vacation overseas.  I didn’t realize it was my last conversation with Danny…
Words cannot express my sad feelings about our loss of Danny.  He left a huge void which is hard for us to fill.  The office is very different without Danny.  We deeply miss him and wish him rest in peace.

Danny created a monopoly game to engage workshop participants in meaningful discussion.

In Port Hardy on one of our many adventures

Tseshaht - Danny, Dan, Lisa, Dan and Catherine

Danny was a great golf partner and supporter of so many organizations.  Ryan, Mike, Catherine and Danny at the Naut’sa mawt tournament.

April, 2023 Group Photo for the ISC and FNHA staff after the joint workshop.

Photo take in April, 2023 during the ISC-FNHA Joint Workshop.  Danny was presenting on Integrating Asset Management & GIS Into Public Health.

I was shocked and very sorry to hear about Danny. He was a kind, generous gentleman with a great sense of humor. We played golf together before I retired, and socialized whenever I made it across from the Island. My sincere condolences to his family and all his colleagues and friends.
Blair Carlson

My condolences to Danny’s friends and family.

I’ve known Danny ever since he joined the Simons Hockey League.  His calm and easy demeanour is what I’ll always remember about him. 

When I came back to hockey after a medical operation he took me aside and asked me a bunch of questions and made sure I was OK. He was a genuine person and it was obvious he cared about my well being.

Simons Hockey League has a facebook page and Danny appears in a lot of those pics. Apparently he may hold the record in buying his team mates beer.

Miss you Danny!!

Ferdinand Espedido

Danny was an awesome guy. I first got to be friends with Danny through the Simons Hockey league almost 25 years ago, playing with, and against him for many years. I always knew it was going to be a fun season when we wound up on the same team.
He was well liked by everyone in the league, considered a man of solid character and class, freely offering up positive encouragement to his friends and teammates. His was known as Dan The Man, and not just because it rhymed. 

He was a total Beaut.. and he is dearly missed 

Darryl Gulay

My deepest condolences to Danny's family.  I also work at Indigenous Services Canada and we just had a conference where most of the First Nations in BC came together and they were all incredibly saddened to hear about Danny's passing.  They all spoke about what wonderful work Danny has done through out the years and  how much impact he had in their communities.  Danny was also the most kindest person and was the most welcoming and friendliest person with his colleagues.  He has left a huge hole at work and will be so missed.

Danny was one of the first friendly faces I met when starting my career in the Public Service. He was a planner, a gatherer who brought people together to break bread, spill drinks and most importantly laugh! I will miss running into him at work and the light he brought to everyone's lives.

I send my condolence to Danny's Family, Friends and his co-workers at ISC.  I had the honor of meeting Danny when I started working for my Kitsumkalum community as a water treatment plant operator in 2001.  BC & Yukon First Nations Water and Wastewater Operators have great respect for Danny, his leadership in creating opportunities to better our work within our communities to provide safe potable water through out BC and Yukon Indigenous communities.  I hold my hands up to Danny in honor for his life and to his family.  Danny will be missed and I will miss his smile and hand shake for a job well done. Take care.

Richard Inkster
O & M Manager
Kitsumkalum Band Council

I have fond memories of Danny during our years together at UBC. Danny was a quiet, reserved person with a gentle soul and a big heart. He always showed up, whether as a talented hockey player or an enthusiastic cheerleader for the annual Tea-Cup football game between the female Nurses and Home Economics/Rehab Science students. 
I only saw him once after graduation, at the funeral of a friend I learned Danny had come to know through his time with Indigenous Services Canada, but it was if we were back in the basement of the old Chem Eng building catching up after a summer co-op placement. I am saddened to hear of Danny’s passing and offer my sympathy.

I am deeply saddened to learn of Danny’s passing.

I had the great pleasure of meeting and working with Danny in addressing the drinking water issue for the Kwikwasutinuxw Haxwa’mis First Nation when I served as elected chief.

Danny was an amazing and wonderful human being that was always a pleasure to work with as he always carried himself with such humility and dignity.

My deepest condolences to the family of this grate man.

Sending heartfelt condolences to Danny’s family, and deep gratitude for his kindness and work with First Nations communities to secure access to clean water.  Melissa and Bob

Danny and I are long time friends and colleagues. We hiked along the route to Everest base camp in 2003 with Danny's other friend, Mark.  Danny was a great travel companion and the 3 of us had a lot of fun along the route and while exploring Kathmandu.  I'm very sad to hear Danny passed on. He really had a big heart.  It was always great to connect with Danny over the years when I passed through Vancouver.

My deepest condolences to Danny's family.

With a great personality, intense in each and every detail, very active and open for dialog, Danny has created a professionally informal   environment for all colleagues at Indigenous Services Canada and First Nations in BC, that allowed innovation, opportunities for personal growth, creativity and advancing concrete initiatives with long lasting results for sustainable infrastructure in First Nations communities.  Danny will be greatly missed, leaving a profound legacy by challenging everybody to consider "what will Danny do" for keeping a collaborative environment.

Thoughts and prayers go out to his family and siblings.  Danny was a friend and colleague who will be missed. Thank you for all your help and wisdom you shared with us. Till we meet again.

I did not know how close I had become with you. It’s a heartbreaking moment. I woke up this morning with this news, and I can’t bind my tears. Rest in peace, my friend.

Danny was a big part of our growing up to look after our communities. 
He will be dearly missed. 
Once we got his trust and showed him how well we could look after our community. 
He would be there beside us watching it grow, and helping us every witch way possible. 
He would step up even when our own C&C would not help us.
Love ya my friend I will miss your calls and calling you for help.
Rest well you deserve it.

I’m so glad Danny was a part of life.  I will miss him. I was so proud he took time out of his very busy life to attend my wedding in 2017. Even more prouder when got up and spoke. 🥹

Sincere condolences thoughts prayers goes out his family siblings. Nobody will be able fill his shoes.he brought his big soft heart to many first nation across bc and north west territory.He made all us what we are today water and waste water certificate operator.he was a strong advocate for us all first nation.with out him I wouldn't be where I am today I've known him for well over 20 plus years.RIP and fly high our brother.

I've had the pleasure of working with Danny for nearly a decade.  I'm so grateful that he's been part of my  story and career.  He changed the trajectory of my work profoundly. It is through my work with Danny that I've been able to travel to, work with and support numerous Indigenous community-led projects across BC. On one of our more recent trips we were hosted in community and were able to sit together with our host family around a table each night and share stories about our lives, travel, and family.  I feel so grateful that I was able to sit at that table and share in those memories. I will miss you dearly friend.  I hope that I might in some small way contribute to carrying your legacy forward in my work.

My deepest condolences to Danny’s family. 
When Danny entered a room or when his name is merely mentioned, the first thing that happens is people smile. Danny was gracious, patient, and hilarious! He helped so many people to learn new things and feel confident at the same time.
Danny was such an anchor to galvanize camaraderie and respect within an often-stressful workplace of Community Infrastructure and I know there will be a huge void in all the “teams” he participated in.
Thank you, for being with us Danny and, I am sure there is a party were you have landed!

My condolences to Danny's Family. He talked so much about his niece and nephews and recently when I told him he must be a fun uncle - Danny almost teared up. Danny took on a role as a mentor in an engineering way in my life starting in 2019, as my groups capstone representative. Danny made a huge impact in my life as an aspiring Indigenous engineer. Upon graduation I got to Danny's client contact for KWL for asset management and we travelled across BC together and shared many meals and beverages together. I changed jobs to FNHA and got to spend even more time with Danny. He was always the first to smile in the room, an advocate for Indigenous communities across BC, and easily the most personable person at ISC. Danny was the person I called after meetings for advice. Danny was the person I looked for at every conference or event. Everyday that passes at work, I miss him profoundly. Most importantly, I want his family to know that Danny was loved by many Indigenous communities across BC, including mine.

And here is Danny winning a big pot.  One of many that night.  He finished in second place at our game in Montreal in November 2023!

This is the group picture from our yearly guys weekend in November 2023 in Montreal, with a poker tournament as an excuse to get together.  We're called the Wild Rose Poker Tour (WRPT) and Danny had been part of the gang since at least 2011.  

We're going to miss Danny dearly!  Such a great friend and kind person, gone way too soon.  

On sincere condolences to Danny’s family and friends.

See you at the final table Danny!

Jean-Yves Vanier Verbeek on behalf of his WRPT buddies.

Danny was well liked and always fun to be around, particularly at after-hours conferences. I haven’t seen anyone who could match his quaffing of beverages. The life of the party.  He was also a very caring man with an interest in others well being. While I worked as an EHO for Health Canada and FNHA, Danny worked for INAC/AANDC/ISC and was always a go to for engineering support on First Nation water system issues. He had a very diplomatic approach and was well respected by all. 
My condolences to all who knew and will miss him. Gone way too young.
Kind regards, Brian Standing, Environmental Health Officer retired

I played ball with Danny (Hig) for many years. We had so many fun summer evenings and weekends at the diamond. You will be missed.  Our condolences to Danny's family and close friends

Sincerely, 
Gerard and Jodie

This picture is one of Danny's victories in our Simon's Hockey League. He will always be one of my best hockey buddies, knowing him for about 25 years!
One of the kindest people I knew.
I'll see you on the other side Danny!
Marc Richard

I was deeply saddened to hear of Danny’s passing. My heartfelt condolences to his family — sending you thoughts of comfort and strength during this trying time. I worked with Danny for many years at Indigenous Services Canada and will remember him for his unabated dedication and passion for First Nations water operations. More than a colleague, he was a friend. He was funny, had a dry sense of humour, and he was always there for support and advice. May you be at peace Danny.

My condolences to Danny’s family and friends. I agree wholeheartedly that he was the nicest man.

Danny, thank you for all your support and being such a wonderful and kind person.  You really were the nicest man!  I'm so sorry you have left us - you will truly be missed.  RIP, my friend, Nicole.

OBITUARY

Mr. Danny Masao Higashitani

August 7, 1967 – April 5, 2024

Forest Lawn Funeral Home & Memorial Park

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