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Funeral packed for Valley Christian athlete
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Friends and family gather at Cornerstone Christian Fellowship in Chandler to remember Valley Christian High School student Daniel Pasanella who died in his home last week, Thursday.
Laura Segall, For the Tribune
In a packed auditorium at Cornerstone Fellowship Church in Chandler, friends, family and teammates gathered at a midday memorial service Thursday to mourn the death of Chandler Valley Christian football player Daniel Pasanella.
Pasanella’s old jersey hung from a coat rack on a stage adorned with roses and blue-and-white flowers arranged in the shape of his number, 34. In the background, video montages of childhood snapshots and highlights of Pasanella’s high school football career played on big-screens, while somber loved ones shared memories of his life.
“He loved to make people laugh,” said Pasanella’s brother, Christopher. “He would do anything to put a smile on your face. If there was something to learn from Danny, it would be to love everybody.”
Pasanella, a junior who played running back, cornerback and special teams for the Trojans, was found dead last Friday morning at his father’s home in Chandler. He was 17.
Former coaches remembered Pasanella as a gifted athlete with a penchant for lifting the competitive spirits of his teammates.
“He was so intense,” said Valley Christian head football coach Bill Morgan. “He showed unbelievable heart and passion that carried over to our team.”
“It was on will and determination that he was able to accomplish so much.”
Horizon High School football coach Tom Ohmart, who coached Pasanella before the player transferred to Valley Christian, said Pasanella would be remembered for his ability to master any sport, and for his fearlessness.
“Daniel’s spirit touched everyone he encountered,” Ohmart said. “He will always be in our memories.”
Fellow students at Valley Christian, where classes were canceled for the day, made up the majority of the hundreds of mourners at the funeral service.
Pasanella’s teammates, as well as players from other schools, attended the service wearing their football jerseys in honor of the Trojans’ star athlete. Players and friends called Pasanella a “spark to his team,” with the innate ability to make others laugh and feel at ease around him.
Cornerstone’s Pastor Steve Issac, who presided over the memorial service, said he came to know Pasanella and his family well through the church.
“He was a persuasive personality,” Issac said. “He loved to laugh and loved to win.”
“Daniel fought a difficult but a good fight.”
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