Students from Sarasota School of Arts and Sciences pay their respects for teacher and coach Dan Giguere at a memorial in his honor at school Monday morning, Feb. 11. Giguere was killed in a car crash early Friday morning. A memorial service was held on Saturday at First Baptist Church.
STAFF PHOTO / MIKE LANG
Published: Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 8:25 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, February 16, 2013 at 8:25 p.m.
SARASOTA - Skateboards and bikes were piled in the church lobby Saturday during the memorial service to celebrate the life of Dan Giguere.
The seats at First Baptist Church were full during the service, with more people standing in the back of the church balcony. A man much loved by his family and many in the community, Giguere was 35 when he died in a car accident on U.S. 41 last week.
He was a beloved coach at the Sarasota School for Arts and Sciences, where he taught physical education and coached basketball. His impact extended through his outspoken passion for skateboarding, which he used to reach children and promote the well-being of student athletes. He started a skateboard team at the school and a non-profit called Sk8skool, which later took over operation of Sarasota's Payne Skatepark.
His students called him Coach Dan or D-Money.
"He was the money," said his long-time friend, Greg Mulhollen during the service. "He was the money at being a husband and a dad."
Giguere lived in Bradenton with his wife, Alexandra Giguere, and their three young boys: Daniel, 7, Andre, 2 and Jean-Paul, 1.
"I love him very dearly," Alexandra Giguere said. "And yes, he gave everything he had to this family."
With Alexandra and the three boys left without husband and father, friends have stepped in with donations to meet the family's immediate needs and start college funds for the boys.
His mother, Paula Giguere, recalled the times they all spent at the beach and how he loved to play in the sand with his children. While they needed healing, she said they will carry on his name.
"Dan's mantra was 'make it happen,'" his mother said said. "And he did, every day."
The service celebrating Giguere's life included scripture readings and hymns, Bob Marley's "One Love" and the school's 8th grade chorus singing Beyonc?'s "Halo."
A friend and an inspirational role model to many of his students, Giguere was known for his kindness, willingness to make people laugh and skill as an athlete. When a video with pictures of Giguere played during the service, there were giggles in the crowd seeing him dressed as a ninja and goofing around with his friends and family.
"Somehow, I think Dan knew life was too short," said Matthew Blanchard, Giguere's friend since middle school. "I didn't know how he got so much done every day."
When it came time to leave, the family, friends and students walked, rode or skated to Payne Park for a candlelight vigil. Armed with enough glow sticks for everyone, the crowd lit up Main Street as they moved toward the park where Giguere had spent many hours with them.
Source: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20130216/article/130219640
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