Danny Ray Talley

Danny moved around as kid due to his father Marion’s job. He settled down for an extended period in California, where he received his bachelor's degree from Fresno St. He then graduated from UCSF School of Dentistry. Due to unforeseen circumstances Danny did not take the exam to become a dentist. He instead settled down in San Francisco for an extended period, where he was an office manager of a small family-owned clinic. He remained in the Dental field for 30+ years between San Francisco and Las Vegas.

Danny moved to Las Vegas to be closer to his elderly parents. He had a close relationship with his parents but especially his mother Janie. In Las Vegas he worked at the corporate office of Absolute Dental. He remained at Absolute for about a decade until he retired.

This is when I became close friends with Danny. We sat in the same double cubicle, or a desk apart at Absolute for several years. We would discuss everything about sports, music, or current events. Danny was sharp with his wits and was known for cracking jokes and he could recite lines from songs, movies, or Saturday Night Live. He was a very happy-natured person.

Danny was a student of life and kept learning the whole time I knew him. We would often talk about investments after retirement and would bounce ideas back and forth. I can remember when Bitcoin was just coming out about 15 years ago and I talked him out it, because we both thought it might be a Ponzi scheme. That was when it was a few hundred dollars, now it is worth much more than that. We would even joke about the time we did not buy it. Good or bad he was able to find humor in situations.

Danny loved sports and because of living in the Bay Area for a long time, he was a San Francisco 49ers, Giants, and Golden State Warriors fan. He was also a fan of collegiate sports including Fresno St. and of his childhood favorite Tennessee. When I moved to Kentucky we would make friendly wagers between the UK and Tennessee, in addition to the longstanding UNLV vs. Fresno St rivalry of our Alma Mater’s.

Danny also had a love of music. He was in local and cover bands during his time in San Francisco. He could play the bass, but primarily he played guitar. Danny was proud of the few collectors’ guitars he owned. He loved classic rock and roll the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Hendrix, Led Zeppelin etc. He even kept abreast of the current bands of the day. When I moved to Kentucky and started listening to country, I would send him videos that I found from Waylon Jennings. He knew all about those songs and would give me other bands to find.

Danny had a generous nature as evident of him leaving his worldly belongings to his friends. He thought it should go to help the people he cared about, and the people who helped him in his final days. Danny was a compassionate person and empathetic. He helped me during the dark time when my daughter, Madison, took her life. At that time, there were moments when I expressed difficulty in going on. He was one of my close friends and family who consoled me during her loss. He always told me to think of my son Jackson. I believe he left something for me to help provide for my son’s college education, and to help me try to find some joy in my life without my daughter.

Even when he had cancer, he remained positive and funny most of the time despite being in tremendous pain.

His laughter and smile will truly be missed, by those who knew him.

------- Jacob L.