Most of us grow into a life full of paradox, and Daniel Hazlett was no exception. Born into a small body, he gained strength and complexity throughout life. To know him is to understand his strength and gentleness, his wild side and quiet demeanor, how simple he was to get to know and how complex he was in his quiet depth of character.

From his younger days on the soccer field through playing lacrosse at Manual High School in Denver and at the University of the Pacific, Daniel was a force on the field. After graduate school at UCLA, he began running and completed several marathons for Team in Training, including one he dawned in full Elvis costume stopping along the way for every band's performance. If you've ever spent time running with Dan or seen him
compete on the field, you know he was a dogged athlete working his hardest at every event and celebrating even harder at the finish line. Dan was always up for a good time (and a good beer) with the people he loved.

To counterbalance his playfulness and brute strength, Dan was also quiet and introverted. Those who had the privilege to rock on the porch swing at the cabin, climb to the top of the Rock, sit on the cabin deck overlooking Meeker Mountain, or joined him around a campfire, know that he rarely spoke a word during these times. He just soaked these moments in and they filled him with life. Perhaps the quiet strength of the mountains spoke to his own nature. He found solace in the mountains and knew life was bigger than the space he occupied.

To balance his strength and quiet, there was his music. Whether playing saxophone or teaching it, music was his main form of expression. Playing his sax, it seems, came easier to him than speaking words. To see and hear Daniel play was to know a man who connected with his passion. He loved music like he loved life. He graduated from The University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music with a degree in Music Performance, a Master of Music from UCLA in Saxophone Performance, a Teaching Credential in Music from National University, and a Master in Conducting from Colorado State University. His heart worked as hard as his lungs as he breathed life into music ranging from classical to jazz to ska. You could feel it when you were with him when he had his sax in hand. He lived for music.

Then he had his sons, Jackson and Braden. If he loved music, that barely scratched the surface of his feelings for his children. He worked hard to share with them the simple joys that brought him the most happiness: jumping on the trampoline, going for bike rides, building with Legos, hiking at the cabin, roasting smores by the campfire, looking at the stars… He wanted them to both grow into their own people and to remember him in the mountains and music that called him to life. In his last months, Daniel inquired about very little, but nearly every day he asked when he could see his boys next.

Sharing the things, he loved with the people he loved was at the core of Daniel's work. He was a presence like no other at Sky High Hope Camp, a children's cancer camp, for the nearly 4 decades he attended. Raising spirits and helping everyone feel at ease was second nature to him, even with the challenges of working with children facing uncertainty and loss at camp. He was equally enraptured with coaching and teaching music. When he eventually found his way to Graland County Day School in Denver, it was clear he had found his teaching home. He loved the community, the work, the kindness, the inspiration and the generosity he found there. He was teaching what he loved, in a place that he loved. He was fortunate to find a workplace many only dream of.

Daniel was blessed to have a very loving family, including his parents, Doug and Jan, who cared for him throughout his last chapter of life while he was living with Glioblastoma. The trio took part in every part of Daniel's life. When asked how he was doing, he always replied with simple responses: life was always 'good' or he was 'just chillin.' Just as he liked it. And that was how he lived until his final days. Loved ones by his side, saying what needed to be said. Leaving those of us around him holding the love that was so simple for him to give and made it so hard for us to let go. He gave it his all, and in a life that feels like it was cut short, he lived simply and fully. He loved deeply. He knew what brought him joy—music, mountains, family, and friends— and he relished in them every day he could. He was surrounded not just by the bodies and love of his parents and his brother, David, on his final day of life, but by the presence of all the love he'd gathered throughout his life until his last breath.

Daniel is survived by his sons, Jackson and Braden, his parents, Doug and Jan, his brother, David, sister-in-law, Erin, nephew and nieces, Grady, Catherine and Finnigan, cousins, Kendra Armstrong and Richard Glenn Hazlett, aunt and uncle, Joe and Merry Tyburczy, and cousins, Will and Joe Tyburczy, as well as many other extended family members and a slew of friends he held close at heart.

Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, November 11 at 11:00 am at Park Hill United Methodist Church, 5209 Montview Boulevard, Denver, CO 80207. Reception will follow at Graland Country Day School.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to either of these places that were significant parts of Daniel's life and love:

Sky High Hope Camp is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and donations are tax- deductible. Sky High Hope Camp's mission is to enrich the lives of children and teens with current or past cancer and their siblings through a one-week, Colorado outdoors- based summer camp. Send donations (checks made out to Sky High Hope Camp) to:

Sky High Hope Camp
PO Bo 5324
Greenwood Village, CO 80155

Graland Country Day School ; Teaching more than 3500 young instrumentalists in his career, Music Teacher Dan Hazlett joined the Graland community in 2014. Throughout his career he taught Lower School music, Middle School band, music enrichment courses, and coached lacrosse. Daniel Hazlett Memorial Fund for Performing Arts Payable to:

Graland Country Day School
55 Clermont Street
Denver, Colorado 80220