Daniel’s Mother
His mother, Linda, was born in Illinois but has spent nearly all her life in Colorado. She was raised on a farm outside Longmont, Colorado, the adopted daughter of Joe and Virginia Conner (both now deceased). Her father was a farmer/rancher, and her mother was an elementary school teacher. She is a graduate of the University of Colorado, with a BA in English. She has worked as a legal secretary and paralegal.
Linda, was clearly the central figure and mentor in Daniel’s life. Daniel’s dad was somewhat of a workaholic, so it was Linda who kept the family together. It was her outpouring of love that had such a great impact on Daniel’s life. She worked especially hard to develop Daniel’s self confidence, his values, and his work ethic. It was Linda who helped Daniel with his school work and musical lessons. Daniel’s personality was much more like Linda’s than his dad’s, so the loss of Daniel was especially hard on her.
Linda considers herself a feminist, yet she made the choice to not work outside of the home once our kids were in school. It was a choice and sacrifice we made to allow for more nurturing of our kids. It was a choice that we later learned to appreciate, given that it allowed us to spend more quality time with Daniel.
Daniel’s Father, Tom
I was born and raised in the Finleyville area, 15 miles south of Pittsburgh, PA, the son of a coal miner, Edward Mauser, and his wife Helen, a stay at home mother (both now deceased). My father died when I was ten, so my mother then had to clean houses and offices to help make ends meet.
I am a graduate of the University of Pittsburgh, with a BA in Political Science and Urban Affairs, and a Masters in Public Administration. I moved to Colorado in 1976 to start a new life. I first managed agencies that provided transportation to the elderly and disabled. Then for 30 years I managed public transit grants at the Colorado Department of Transportation.
Linda and I married in 1981. Daniel came along in 1983, Christie in 21985. At home, I was more of an entertainer and practical joker. I was a debate partner and buddy for Daniel. We loved to play games and kid each other.
Daniel’s Sister, Christine
Daniel’s sister, Christine, was born in October 1985, two years after Daniel. They were a very close brother and sister, though their personalities were quite different: Daniel was shy and Christie was more outgoing. Christine is graduate of Colorado’s Fort Lewis College in Durango, where she earned a BA in Sociology. She worked two years aiding troubled teen girls, then moved to San Francisco, where she met her future husband, Dan Higham of England.
Dan and Christine married in 2015 and later moved to Portland, Oregon. They are raising Bethany, his teen daughter from a previous marriage. In September 2017 they welcomed a new daughter, Carys (rhymes with Paris)—our first grandchild! Dan works in computer technology and programming, and Christine works as an assistant for a financial consulting firm.
Daniel’s Sister, Madeline
Madeline is the sister Daniel never knew. As described elsewhere on this website, Madeline was adopted from China as a toddler after the Columbine tragedy.
Madeline was named to the National Junior Honor Society when she attended Ken Caryl Middle School in 2012/13. She received excellent grades in the Gifted and Talented program. Madeline graduated with honors from Heritage High School. As with Christine, we just couldn’t let her attend Columbine High. She attended Colorado State University more than two years as a biology major. She had two very successful years, making the dean’s list, but when the pandemic hit, she did not do well with virtual classes, and left. She spent 8 months in an intensive website programing boot camp, but could not find work in that field. She’s now working where her great passion is—dog training, for a professional, nationwide dog training company.
Daniel and Christie only got to know their grandparents for a few years…
Daniel Mauser Memorial Website 