My neighbor and friend

Dan was my neighbor, my friend, and my little brother. I never had a younger sibling growing up, and I always thought of Dan Baird and Malea Medrano as my little brother and sister. If you know Dan, you know that his childhood friends were from a core neighborhood group that consisted of all of us kids that lived out on Speyers Rd. We spent some of the best afternoons of our lives riding bikes and skateboarding out in front of Dan's house on 14th St. Dan was the little brother and we always had to take him with us wherever we went because if we didn't he would tell on us, and then Steve would be grounded for what seemed like most of his adolescence. Dan was such an ornery kid that he fit right in with us even though we were a little older. Dan was not just a tag-a-long though, he was a member of our crew. Our group of friends has been very blessed. All of us that were so close during those years are still close, and I have always thought of Dan and Steven as my brothers, as well as Josh Medrano. I have so many funny stories of Dan that I really can't pick one, but I will say that Dan had an infectious laugh and smile, and when he made fun of you, you had to laugh because he was also really quick witted and hilarious. Dan and I always had that kind of relationship, he sent me a comment on myspace right before he died that he ended with "Had a good time with you guys the other night, we need to do it more often butt sniff.....". That is the way we always talked to each other and I will miss it. I loved that nothing was off limits with Dan. He was a true friend and would trash talk you one minute, and then stand up for you the next. When I was at his funeral I was speaking with his dad and he told me that Dan always talked to him about my wife Jen and I. He said "Dan really looked up to you" and I was so honored. Dan had so much going for him that it was always hard to imagine that he still looked up to me, but knowing that he did made me feel very proud. I think that Steven and I both ended up looking up to him. I was at his house about a month ago and he was showing me his new SUV, which happened to the dream car of my wife and I, and he was so proud. I would normally be jealous but Dan was a hard worker and I was proud of him. He made a really good life for himself here in Seattle and I loved the nights that we would get a call from him saying he would be over in a few minutes. He always came over just to hang out and check in with us. He loved reminiscing about the old days in the neighborhood. I have had a really heavy heart since he passed, and I am really trying to live better for him. I loved him very much, and I will definitely miss his voice "what's up Shit Dogg". I can still hear you. I miss you and I will see you again. Matt Schmid