TOMBSTONE TUESDAY: Daniel James Cuellar (2006-2025)

December 30, 2025

It is not the dates on a tombstone that matter, they just mark the beginning and the end of a life. Life is found in the dash between the two. The dash holds the life’s history of the person whose name is carved above it. Whether that dash is long or short is of little importance, but it is what it holds that truly matters.

Although short, the dash that holds the life history of Daniel Cuellar speaks volumes about who he was and how he touched every person he met in a positive way.

Daniel James Cuellar was born on January 22, 2006, in Dallas, Texas. Daniel was the first born of 3 sons to Jacob Neal and Sabrina Ramirez Cuellar. He was a big baby who was born with a head full of thick black hair, and he had two parents who raised him to be the amazing young man he was through their love, care, and guidance.

Daniel’s father Jacob was born and raised in Port Lavaca and is part of a huge extended family that has its roots buried deep in the Texas history of Victoria and Calhoun Counties. Daniel was an 8th generation grandson of Dona Patricia de La Garza and Don Martin De Leon, empresario of De Leon Colony and founders of the City of Victoria. When Daniel was still a young boy the family moved back home to south Texas.

He attended elementary school in Palacios where his mother was a teacher and later, he was home-schooled for the rest of his education. Daniel was a sweet child who was respectful, kind, and a joy to be around. He enjoyed sports, especially baseball, and he played for Little League Teams in Palacios. His cousins remember him always being fun to be around. No matter what the activity was, Daniel was always in the middle of it and giving it his all. He was funny and always made whatever they were doing better through the laughter he generated. One of the funnier stories remembered was when Daniel and his dad went to play golf with his Uncle Jeremy and cousin Jeremiah. Daniel was using his uncle’s new driver and released it up into a tree. They spent an hour trying to get it back down to the ground. He was embarrassed but lots of laughs came out of that too.

Daniel had two younger brothers, Jonathan, and Gabriel who knew him best of all. His family was very tight knit, and they did everything together. Whether it was attending family reunions, and vacations, to traveling across America on adventures they were always a close unit. They visited some of the most exciting and adventurous places in the nation. They loved visiting historical and interesting places as well as the natural wonders in the state and national parks. Daniel loved animals and nature, camping, hiking, canoeing, swimming, zip lining, he was ready to go! Full of life and a force of nature.

The family was devout in their religion. Close and involved with their congregational family, Daniel along with his family took part in door-to-door ministry and worked to help those in need whenever called upon. He also volunteered as a first-aid attendant at Jehovah’s witness religious assemblies and conventions in Rosenberg. He was a loved brother in this family as well.

I do not know if it was the fact that he was from a 3rd generation family of Firefighters, EMT, and Paramedics, or if it was just the natural choice for the person he was, but he was a very intentional person in thought and deed, and after graduating at the age of 16, as soon as he could he entered Victoria College to become part of that profession. He graduated from the Victoria Fire Academy. He was a 19-year-old emergency medical technician and trained firefighter who was involved in the Olivia VFD, Calhoun County EMS, and El Campo EMS. He also previously worked for the Victoria Fire Department. Daniel was an extremely hard worker and would always pitch-in with whatever job he saw that needed his help. While attending school he kept up with work at home that needed attending to. He helped his aunt Jamie with her baking business and worked for his grandfather Jim at his ranch and gun store, worked part-time at HEB and all the while Daniel put countless hours working on the ambulance as well.

When Daniel entered the field of firefighting and rescue, he became a member of yet another close family. A family that respect, courage, and complete commitment between each other means life or death. A family whose members are depended on by the rest of us when we are in life and death situations, and a family that is one of the most important parts of our community. Among the members of this family Daniel was known to be dependable, hard working, always willing to take on extra shifts if needed. He was known for his patience, kindness, and garnishing calm and confidence from those he was working to help through his gentle and compassionate way. He had gained the respect of his fellow EMT, Paramedics, and Firefighters and they made that clear by their presence at his memorial service.

On the morning of October 15, 2025, at approximately 7:44 in the morning Daniel lost his life when his truck veered off the road, hit a bar ditch and collided with a tree. He had returned home from transporting a patient by ambulance to another hospital around 3:00 a.m. and after a few hours of sleep he was once again out on the road to work on his paramedic certification. He was thrown from the vehicle. Although life-flighted he succumbed to his injuries.

Daniel was our grandson, and, in our family, he has always been referred to as our Gentle Giant. His passing left a giant of a hole in our family that can never be filled. It is painful and it is still raw, but Daniel was taking the direction in life that he was born to take. His love and natural drive to help serve others in need, his love and commitment to strong family ties and the responsibility that comes with keeping that bond, along his love and commitment to his faith all worked towards his chosen journey in life. In his honor his dad and his brother started on their own paths to becoming certified EMT’s.

With shattered hearts we all still miss Daniel immensely, but to see so many people in all of Daniel’s circles come out to pay their respects in such an overwhelming way allowed our hearts to swell with the realization of the man he had become. Daniel’s dash was a short one, but that dash bowed under the weight of the life lived by our Gentle Giant.

In honor of Daniel Cuellar the family has set up the Daniel Cuellar Memorial Fund. The funds will be used in the future to pay for scholarships, and purchase equipment for local volunteer emergency response organizations.

Donations may be made at First National Bank in Port Lavaca: Daniel Cuellar Memorial Fund, P.O. Drawer 7, Port Lavaca, TX 77979.

To donate electronically: https://www.zeffy.com/.../daniel-cuellar-memorial-fund

Written by Sheryl Cuellar

References:

Family, Friends, Co-workers.