Daniel Gomez

Daniel Gómez, known by most as “Danny,” was born on April 30, 1945 in San Bernardino, CA and passed on April 15, 2015 at home in Redlands, CA. Danny was preceded in death by his parents Rodolfo Gómez and Margaret Gómez. He is survived by his wife, Mary Frances Leyva Gómez; daughter, Gabrielle Gómez Singh; son-in-law, Dave Singh; grandchildren, Sofia and Rohin Singh; dog, Barton; brother, David Gómez; and sister, Cathy Gómez Hilder; and brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, uncles, aunts and cousins.

Danny grew up in San Bernardino and attended Ramona Elementary and Alessandro Jr. High Schools, Our Lady of Guadalupe School, graduated from Aquinas High School, earned his AA from San Bernardino Valley College, and attended Cal State San Bernardino, majoring in Spanish and business.

Danny served in the United States Army from 1966-1968 and Army Reserve. After receiving an Honorable Discharge, he immediately became employed with Sears Roebuck & Company, where he worked from 1969 to 2005, managing several departments within the store. During that time, he transitioned into a career with Allstate Insurance Company. Upon retirement from Allstate in 2005, he accepted a position with Arrowhead Credit Union/Sawyer Cook Insurance and served as General Manager of Personal Lines, Vice President of Personal Lines Insurance, Vice President of Sales and Marketing and Vice President of Business Development.

While working with Sears and Allstate, Danny built strong relationships with customers that would propel him into becoming a business executive and entrepreneur as he co-founded, Gómez & Associates, Inc., manufacturers of embroidered apparel. He was instrumental in securing clients including: Quicksilver, Fuddruckers, Disneyland, Taco Bell, San Bernardino Spirit, schools in the Inland Empire, San Bernardino Valley College, and the University of Redlands, amongst many others.

He also was co-owner of another company by the same name, Gómez & Associates, Inc. Language Consultants, Interpreters & Translators . He was instrumental in securing clients including: Atari; Mattel Toys, International; McDonald’s; Disneyland; Disneyland Hotel; Chuck E. Cheese; The Los Angeles Dodgers; Vidal Sasoon; Ralph’s Supermarkets; Knott’s Berry Farm; Toyota and many more. He worked in TV and radio commercials, providing casting and production supervision. In the last few years he focused on providing language services to the healthcare industry. Danny was still conjuring ideas of new business ventures.

In addition to professional accomplishments, Danny took his enthusiasm and entrepreneurial spirit to the tennis courts. He served as the USTA League Tennis Coordinator for San Bernardino and Riverside Counties for Adult Tennis Leagues where he managed over 300 adult players. He was a member of the Redlands Racquet Club since 1989, where he served as President and received their “Mr. Tennis” Award. Danny developed and was owner of a tennis league for players over age 50, “California 50 Plus Tennis,” where he brought together tennis enthusiasts from all over the United States, Europe, and particularly Southern California and Arizona to participate in annual tennis tournaments in Newport Beach and Palm Desert.

Danny’s enthusiasm for sports started as a young man, where he was a basketball coach from 1964-1994 at private schools in San Bernardino including: Our Lady of Guadalupe School, Holy Rosary Academy and St. Anthony’s School.

He also had a passion for dancing. From 1961-1984 he was a professional ballroom dancer and judge, and also was a dance instructor for Arthur Murray Dance Studios. When daughter Gabrielle was a dancer in the local production of the Nutcracker, he served as the Co-Producer and Director of the ballet in San Bernardino’s Community Arts Production from 1979-1984.

Danny loved his family and they were the focus of his life and his endeavors. He was extremely supportive of his wife, daughter, parents, in-laws, and many relatives. Danny was reciprocated one hundredfold for his lifetime contribution to family, friends, business and community. He lived life to the fullest, enjoying his entrepreneurship, travels around the world and always sharing life with family. He was blessed abundantly with grandchildren Sofia and Rohin, and his adopted dog Barton.

A Family Mass of Christian Burial and Private Interment were celebrated earlier.

Memorial and Celebration of Danny’s Life: Saturday, May 2 at the University of Redlands at Memorial Chapel, 10:00 a.m. Immediately following will be a reception at the University’s tennis courts.

In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in Danny’s honor may be directed to the University of Redlands to support their Tennis Program. Checks may be made payable to the University of Redlands, with the memo line indicating the gift is in memory of Danny for UR Tennis Program. You may send checks to:

University of Redlands

Office of Development

1200 E. Colton Ave

Redlands, CA 92373

You may also go online to www.redlands.edu/giving.