Ronald Daniel

Ronald Eugene Daniel was born the fifth child of Colie and Ruth Daniel on August 4th, 1940. He was only 2 ½ years old when his father died at the age of 41, leaving his mother and three-month-old brother, Gary, to build their lives with the help of his older siblings during WWII. He was raised in the Lakewood Heights area of Atlanta. When he was only 8, Ronnie delivered newspapers and worked at GA Tech’s stadium selling peanuts to football fans to earn extra money for his family.

A member of the Fulton High School Class of 1958, Ronnie excelled in academics, student government and football, serving as captain of the football team, president of the student body, and a member of the National Honor Society. Ronnie was also voted Most Popular in his senior class. He was awarded both the Atlanta Journal Best-all-around Student in his graduating class and the Atlanta Coaches Association Award for Outstanding Athlete in 1958.

His high school accomplishments helped secure a coveted place in the Georgia Tech Architectural degree program in 1958. Ronnie married his high school sweetheart Helen Tarkington in 1959. While Ronnie continued to work toward a college degree, the young couple started a family with the birth of Julie Marie in 1962, then Lori Leigh in 1964 and Clifford Adam in 1967. Ronnie graduated with an Architectural Engineering degree from Georgia Tech in 1963, and after completing a three-year apprenticeship with the Architectural firm Hall, Norris and Marsh, he opened his own firm Daniel Associates Architects on Spring Street in midtown Atlanta.

Ronnie briefly tipped his toe into the political ring, serving as campaign manager for friend and attorney Richard Johnson’s successful bid for Fulton County Commissioner. He also served on committees to bring Cable Television to the south side of Atlanta.

Ronnie’s architectural career included the completion of major projects like the North and South Fulton County Tennis Centers and the Summit South office building. While living in College Park, he designed several buildings on the Woodward Academy campus including the new gym, alumni building and the state-of-art performing arts center. Other of his project designs ranged from the football stadium at Morgan Falls to Haisten Funeral Home in McDonough, where his own memorial service will be held. One of his most extensive projects was the Georgia State Patrol Training Center in Forsyth, GA, which took over five years to build.

In November of 1997, Ronnie suffered an accident at home, a catastrophic fall, which left him a paraplegic. At this time, he and Helen moved to their Jackson Lake home that he had designed and built nestled in nature, following the style of his favorite architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Ronnie continued to work as an architect until the age of 81 at his Jackson Lake studio. The love of his life, Helen, passed away in 2016, at the age of 77 after 57 years of marriage.

Ronnie is survived by children Julie Epperson, Lori Daniel-Fowler (David) and Clifford Daniel; brother Gary Daniel of Brooks, GA; grandchildren, Jody Carver, Jenifer Hardy, Cambrie Beishline, Kaylee Daniel, Courtney Daniel, Kennedy Musacchia, Cassidy Daniel and Emeili Fowler; and great-grandchildren, Camden and Casten Carver. Ronnie is preceded in death by his wife, parents, sister Tommie Lou Anderson, and brothers Colie “Billy” Daniel, J. C. Daniel, and Marion Daniel. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Wildlife Federation, National Geographic Society, and The Shepherd Center.