Daniel M Chimel

Daniel Michael Chimel was born the 5th child, the 3rd son of Daniel Anthony Chimel and Adeline Antoinette Chimel (née Profit) on June 19th, 1963. His beautiful, perfectly rounded baby form immediately garnered the nickname “Goober” and he was forever known as Goober to those that loved him.

The Young Goober

Dan grew up in Atlas, PA along with his four siblings (Joseph, 1951-2022; David, 1954; Virginia, 1958 and Rita, 1959) and was raised in the same house in which his mother had been raised. It was an idyllic childhood of little league baseball, riding his banana bike all over town, great friends (to this day who call him Goober!) and developing many life long hobbies. He was an avid fly fisher and spent many a summer day fishing the streams of Northeast Pennsylvania. It brought him so much joy as did tying flies at which he became an expert. This was a hobby Dan enjoyed throughout his entire life.

During his boyhood he and his great Uncle Cookie (his mother’s uncle) became very close. Uncle Cookie was like a father to Dan. Uncle Cookie would take Dan, Ginny, and Rita every Saturday to buy milk for the week and then stop off at the hobby store where he would buy each of them something. Dan developed more hobbies like his Lionel Trains, making and painting models and collecting….just about everything. Uncle Cookie taught Dan to drive and how to swim. Another favorite pastime of theirs was going to Knoebels and just hanging out.

Because he was the youngest of five, he was exposed to lots of music and culture that his older siblings were listening to…he memorized entire comedy bits of Cheech & Chong and could recite them at will. He loved to laugh! And he loved to make everyone else laugh too! Dan was always funny, always with a smile on his face, always wanting to keep things upbeat and happy.

Dan attended Holy Spirit Grade School and Our Lady of Lourdes Regional High School. He was a solid and popular student. In high school he started weight lifting and that dedication led him to connect with some very special lifelong friendships. Dan was freshman class president, member of Key Club and French Club. Senior year he was voted Most School Spirit. He was active in his class’s welcome Freshman skit portraying The Incredible Bulk. He went on to graduate with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA.

The Goober Gets the Girl

It was during his college years that he met the love of his life, Dale Ann Rodgers. From the very first date it was truly meant to be! Not knowing his nickname at the time, she teased him that he was “such a goober”…she’d never called anyone that before! He showed her his High School jacket with “Goober” embroidered onto it. But theirs tuned out to be a romance for the ages. They were everything to each other and more. After a long engagement, they were married on May 19th, 1990 at the Chapel in Atlas, PA and celebrated the nuptials at the home where Dan, his siblings, and his Mother had grown up. It was particularly touching as Dan had lost his Mother suddenly in his senior year of high school and their wedding in Atlas was beyond special because of such deep family history.

The Goober and his Gooblings

Dan and Dale had children in short order. Dale wanted them to be close in age and Adeline Rose was born September 1991, followed by Grace Claire on December 1992 and Lorenzo on December 1993. They too had an idyllic childhood filled with trips to Assateague Island, MD, Ocean City, NJ, Knoebels and Atlas trips with the Chimel family, camping in the Smoky Mountains, Disney World, Paris, and San Diego. One of their fondest memories of their Dad was while they were fixing up the first house on Frazer Ave. A sheet of drywall fit perfectly into the back of the big truck so Dad would put down the seats, put the drywall inside, then let the kids fly around in the back of the truck untethered while he went around curves harder than normal on the way home from Home Depot. He loved the truck! It was the perfect vehicle for getting his big family down to Assateague Island where they would sometimes stay for the full month of August as camp hosts, perfect for four wheeling on the national beach, and an excellent truck for any of the big projects he decided to take on.

Dan had a successful career as a Mechanical Engineer, eventually owning his own business and worked from his home in Collingswood. A good work ethic was a very important principle to him and he passed it along to each of his children. He frequently taught himself new trades and hobbies and was self taught in many aspects of his life like gardening, fly tying, and photography.

Life as a Poppop

Dan became a Poppop on May 27th, 2016 with the birth of his first grandson Enzlo Dean. He carried on the tradition his father started by gifting him a Hess truck every Christmas.

In January of 2023, he became a two-time Poppop to grandson Hyder Daniel, and in May of 2025 he welcomed his first granddaughter Ayah Grace. How he loved his grandkids! He loved to hold them, lay on the floor with them, show them his truck and any projects he was working on, show them his fly tying books, share his home grown tomatoes, snap peas, and cucumbers with them, went pumpkin picking with them, and was just all around exactly what a Poppop should be. His Goober tendencies live on through Hyder Daniel, who from his first ultrasound pictures reminded his mom, Grace, immediately of Dan.

Dan passed away on Assateague Island on September 21st, 2025. It was his 50th trip to Assateague Island, a fact of which he was very proud. He was with his wife, children, and grandchildren, as well as his sons-in-law and families, as well. He was very pleased to see that his family was growing and that he could share his favorite place with those he loved.