I remember him as a cool and strong Lolo, who could handle any challenge with ease. Growing up, I was always with him. He taught me a lot about life, about what’s right and wrong. Even when he scolded me or got mad when I messed up, I knew it was because he cared.
I miss him a lot, and I wish he could see how much I’ve grown and the person I’m becoming.
– Daniel John Fajardo III
Dear Lolo Danny,
I miss you. I hope you’re doing well. I hope everything is going well. I remember visiting you at the office and taking our pictures.
I miss you, Lolo Danny. I hope you could stay forever.
Love,
Aoife Fajardo
It’s been seven years since you left us, Lolo Danny, but your lessons and presence still live strongly in my heart. You were a man of discipline firm in your principles and unwavering in your belief that strength came from consistency and hard work. You always told me to be aggressive in pursuing what I want, to never settle, and to never stop learning. Those words still echo in my head whenever I face challenges or feel like giving up.
You showed your love in your own unique way through tough love, yes, but also with small moments where I knew I was your favorite. Somehow, even while being strict, you managed to spoil me. I’m grateful for the balance you taught me: to be tough but kind, determined yet humble. I miss you every day, but I carry what you taught me like armor. Thank you for shaping the person I continue to become.
– Aidan M. Fajardo
A lot of people were fond of calling him “DF”, but I was always fond of “Lolo Danny.” It reminds me that his name is mine, and in that way, he will always be with me.
Growing up in Manila, I was literally an island away from him. I was here, and he was all the way back in Iloilo. And yet, he would always make time to visit. Some days I’d wake up to find him already in the house, asking how I’d been. Some days he’d catch me eating fast food, and I’d get a really long lecture of the importance of eating my vegetables. Some occasions, he’d catch me coming home fresh from receiving my report card, and nothing felt better than seeing how proud he was of me.
Several of my milestones, I would say, came about because of him. I remember being a pre-teen wanting to go to Iloilo alone because he wanted to see me. It was my first flight alone, and my first summer in Iloilo without my parents, just to spend more time with him. That summer, he gave me my first “job” and paid me a “salary” out of his own pocket. I never knew if it was simply to amuse me or to encourage me to be productive. Nonetheless, it was one of my most endearing summers with him.
Even after all these years, these memories remain and always will. My Lolo Danny was a person of grit, passion, and service. He encouraged me to be the person I am today, and I can only hope to carry forward even a part of the amazing person he was. Maybe he was DF to some, but to me, he was always my Lolo Danny.
– Danii Roma M. Fajardo
I miss my Lolo Danny. I hope to see him in paradise on earth.
– Rianie Sai F. Dela Cruz
I was only 2 years old when my Lolo Danny passed away but our pictures tell so many happy memories with him. I was the youngest “apo” then so all attention was with me.
My mom said Lolo Danny was very protective of me that he didn’t want my parents to bring me to malls or any crowded places. He would carry me while doing his daily walking routine and he would feed me with sabaw ka laswa, ibos, grapes or any adult food and would laugh at me.
My mom said, when he was admitted in the hospital, he kept on telling my mom and dad to make me a baby brother. Unexpectedly, at the time of his wake, mom found out that she was pregnant and so my brother was named after Lolo Danny, Daniel III. For me and my brother, he left us too soon but we look forward to see him in paradise someday.
– Dan Eli Fajardo
