I will forever hear Thelma's joyful and uplifting laugh, a laugh that raised everyone's spirits within earshot. Thank you dear Thelma!
In Loving Admiration,
Robin Nott  MA '84

Mom-in my heart and my life forever. I love you and miss you so much!

Thanks so much Fred!!! I feel such a loss and find myself thinking “I have to tell Thelma” when something special happens. She is missed❤️

Amen, Fred Keating! Thelma will never be forgotten. Always missed! Thinking of her with love today, thanks to your post.

Gone but not forgotten
Life without Thelma is simply rotten!

May all your pain be champagne, Thelma!
(And Fred McD as well!)

Dear Thelma! Dennis and I miss you so very much. You were a joy to us; we treasure the time we had with you. Thinking of you with so much love on your birthday. 

I think of Thel-bell often and know her family and friends love and miss her. I know I do. It's sad a life so long lived and so joyful has left our physical world. Her soul and spirit is always here and I'm appreciative of that. Here's to you sweet Thelma. FYI...it's still a political sh-show here so you, hopefully, are at peace now not having to hear it all. Your wonderful activism is SO missed. I love you lots and happy birthday. 

Thinking of you often
Your spirit and your style
But mostly, yes, mostly
That Thelma-bright smile!
Fred 2

Hello Mom,
I miss you so much my heart hurts. 
I will celebrate your birthday soon!
Love Jamie

Thelma, can you see us from way up there?
We can’t see you and that doesn’t seem fair!
I don’t miss your laugh or your eyes so bright …
My heart hears you and sees you every single night!

Thelma was my 1st cousin and the only time I ever met her in person was probably in the early 2000s. She and our Aunt Delma came to pick me up from the Hilton Hotel in Akron after I had shuttled in from the airport on a trip to visit the family. Mom was in assisted living at the time. When I first saw her I could not believe my eyes! She looked so much like as Richardson. She and Aunt Del standing together looked like twins. I stayed with Aunt Del and her while visiting and enjoyed talking to her. I am almost certain she must have been the drama teacher for a young woman who was engaged at one time to my Eric. She graduated from EMU in 1986 and went on to direct plays on cruise ships. Later, I caught up with her again on FB and found another affinity with her other than the theatre--politics! As far as I know all my 1st cousins are Democrats. I found some pictures recently of the Richardson clan taken in 1963 in Kentucky, probably at Orville's, and will share if you don't have it. Also, I have one of our great Aunt Pearl, Grandma Richardson's sister, which is priceless. Thelma was a blight spirit and I know the memories of her will be a great comfort to you all in the difficult days ahead.

We are Tina Chen’s father (Xinhua), mother (Junxiu) and grandma (Yonghua) in Houston. We met Thelma the first time at her Ann Arbor home in July 2017, while attending Mike and Tina’s wedding. We were very happy to see each other and we had a great time chatting. At the wedding, Thelma and Yonghua, signed off the wedding document for Mike and Tina. That historical moment has been engraved in our hearts. Her soft voice and the smiles are always remembered. We miss Thelma!

Today, in celebration of Thelma's birthday and my retirement from EMU, Shari Lyon, a 1980's EMU alum, and I had a long FaceTime chat. We spoke with great love about how much Thelma meant to us. I was one of the fortunate ones who got to work with Thelma at EMU from 1980 until her retirement. What a wonderful colleague she was! In the years after her retirement, we stayed in touch and she became a dear friend to my husband, Dennis, and me.  Her encouragement, humor, love and support have meant so much to us. And the cards and letters! Those meant the world. Dear Thelma, how I wish that I could be celebrating my retirement with you! You were there with me from the start and all along, lifting me up and giving me strength to keep going. Thinking of you today with love and gratitude.

My natural tendency whenever I write something is to think of it as a scholarly paper. I search for an overarching question, and then, after much research, land on a thesis that will specifically answer this question. However, when confronted with the questions: How do you remember Gramma Danny? Who was Gramma Danny to you? I struggle with coming up with a singular argument. She meant too many things to me and to others, and I was fortunate enough to have over 30 years of memories of her. So, instead of developing one cohesive conclusion about Gramma, I leave here a jumbled outline of thoughts, memories and emotions that I associate with my unstoppable Gramma Danny.
• Gramma Danny was firm in her beliefs and always willing to defend them. This is a trait I shared with her. When we agreed, we could talk for hours about the intricacies of the issue; When we disagreed, we would debate for hours with the same passion. I fondly remember our last debate about what types of degrees are required to be a college professor in 2016.
• Gramma Danny had the most amazing laugh. Her laugh could fill a room. Whether she was playing a game with her grandchildren (anyone remember the Star Wars game?) or chuckling “Oh Beverley” as she spoke on the phone to her dear friend. She also knew how to laugh at herself, a rare trait today.
• Gramma Danny was fiercely independent. She treasured being able to be self-sufficient and take care of herself and her own needs.
• Gramma Danny was a life-long learner. I fondly recall her learning multiple languages after her retirement. You could always hear her practicing her conjugations in Spanish, Italian and Latin. She would pepper her conversations with words from these languages, before stopping and asking, “Wait, what language am I using now?”
• Gramma Danny was an equal-opportunity food-dunker. I will always remember her drinking tea with milk and dunking literally anything she was eating into said tea. While this was also the topics of one of our most frequent debates, she always remained true to her food-dunking ways.
• Gramma Danny was an avid player of crossword puzzles. As I child, I was in awe of her ability to decipher crossword puzzle clues and immediately know the answers. I am still in awe. I fondly remember one road trip when Gramma and I spent hours deciphering crosswords, yelling far too loudly about our answers. We were quickly reminded of this by my father, who was trying to drive through the Rocky Mountains as we were screaming “Oh what about “ere”?!”
• Gramma Danny adored her great grandchildren. I remember her meeting my oldest son, Lucca, for the first time. She played with him, snuggled with him, and laughed at all of his antics. It did not matter how tired she was, Gramma Danny was always ready to have visit from her great grandchildren (whether in person or virtually).

As I am adverse to writing conclusions as that denotes an end, I will simply say this.
Gramma: I am better for having had you in my life. I admire you—even when we questioned each other, I love you, and I miss you. Te admiro. Te amo. Te extraño.

-- The fourth grandkid (Amy)

I met Thelma when I came to visit Michigan 3-4 years ago. It was so wonderful to spend time with her! When I saw her again, it was during Michael’s and Tina’s wedding, then in photos with her great granddaughter, Sofia. In every instance, she brought joy to everyone around her. I am so glad to have met her, and even more touched by the impact she has made on so many of us. She will be missed.

I met Thelma 63 or 64 years ago...when I was one or two, and the Crane family moved from the home of Eastern Illinois University to Eastern Michigan University. I lived in Ypsi from 1-6 1/2. During this time I met the whole McDaniel family, and Jaime and Susan became my first best friends...Jamie was a year younger, and Susan was a year older. Of course, we got along great--our mothers were best friends...and remained so for the rest of their lives, even though we moved back to EIU in 1961. And the McDaniel's bought our house on North Wallace. Not only that, but they bought it on contract, meaning my parents received a check every month from the McDaniel's. But we also visited, and I was thrilled to see that my dad's wall mural in the basement was not painted over :).

Mom (Mathiel Crane) and Thelma met at a Dame's Luncheon. At the time (1956, I assume) EMU held a luncheon for all "faculty wives." That's because the faculty were men. They met on the porch or balcony of the president's house because THEY NEEDED TO SMOKE. That's how they met...going for a smoke. Mom and Thelma became fast friends, and that meant my childhood memories include Thelma and her family.

In 1997, the year before my mom died, I was fortunate enough to accompany Mom, Thelma, and three other friends to London for several days. I was 42 at the time, and perhaps the greatest gift of all from that trip, was learning just how funny this group of women were! The laughter! The stories! I didn't realize that old women could be so funny! (Now that I AM one, I understand). Those ladies made trips to the liquor store almost every day! And we saw so much theatre. I chose to go see the Phantom of the Opera by myself while Thelma and the group saw Shakespeare :). Spending time with Thelma was like spending time with my mom. I loved it.

I've tried to stay in touch with Thelma over the last 20 years. Thanks to Jaime for hosting me, and sharing Thelma with me. I love her laugh, I love her soul, I love her politics. We always had a great time together. She often spoke of her love for me, and her love of my mom. I am so very grateful to have had her in my life.

I may be wrong about this, but I heard that in the Jewish faith, the idea of the afterlife has to do with how long people talk about you. In other words, you "live" as long as you are remembered. I will never forget this friendly, energetic, cat-loving, people-loving complicated woman who loved me unconditionally. I know her family feels the same way. Thelma is truly one-of-a-kind. I can hear her say, "Oh, Gail," because she would want to refute this. No can do, Thelma. You are special. I love you. Rest in peace, and tell mom how much I miss her.

Dear Family,
Blessings to you all, as you care for each other through Thelma's passing. My time with Thelma began through the graduate program at EMU, which I attended from 1982-1984. My work with Thelma, Ginny, and Patricia was clearly a life-changing experience, playing a key role in defining my own future 35 year career in drama/theatre education. Thelma's spirited, inspiring, and dedicated presence provided a role model in the field, and lots of laughs along the way. Thelma's life brings to mind a favorite quote form Marshal McCluhan, "We become what we behold." For so many of us who passed through the halls of Quirk Theatre, Thelma helped this come true in our lives. Thelma helped make the world a better place, by inspiring a generation of arts educators.

Thelma definitely left an impression on anyone that crossed paths with her. I always felt like Jamie was so lucky to get “the cool Mom.”  Thelma was the type of woman that people strive to be - welcoming, smart, strong, funny, adventurous, quick to smile and laugh (I loved her laugh!). The world would be such a better place with more Thelmas in it. 
No matter how many years would go by between visits it was always easy to just pick up where we left off. Her love for her family was so apparent. She lived such a full life and I am so glad her family was left with such warm memories. Cheers Thelma!

I don't know what to say. Grandma was an elemental force that shaped me so deeply that I likely never will know exactly how and what I got from her. She showed me that being a passionate, intelligent, strong, opinionated woman was a good thing,a thing to be proud of, a thing to celebrate. She encouraged my imagination and my love of reading, taking joy and fostering my play and my stories and my dreams. She kept the family together, making sure that my sister Amy and I got to spend quality time with my cousins Mike and Sarah, who became my best friends growing up.  Her laugh could fill a house, as could her singing, which she did often as most things reminded her of a song (My sister and I once had a contest to see if we could stump Grandma Danny by saying a word she couldn't think of a song for, I believe we lost). She also welcomed my husband Chris in with open arms, and made sure he was fully part of the family. I love her so much, and I know I will adjust and write more when I process more, but here is what I wrote on Facebook as well to explain her to my friends...

My Grandma Danny was an amazing soul. She was the matriarch of the family, holding us together. She had an easy extroversion that made you feel alive when talking to her. She had one of the sharpest wits of anyone, and never was afraid of learning new things-she jumped on facebook and email and new technology with little fear. She had a huge imagination, and was a groundbreaking leader in Children's Theater (yes I come from three generations of actors). She believed in living life with passion, with emotion, with authenticity. She once told us that she didn't want to ever live at any kind of retirement community because "it is full of old people", by which she meant people who were afraid of change. She was a dedicated democrat/progressive (First question about Chris Dragga when I got engaged to him "Is he a good democrat?"), secular humanist, crossword puzzle solver, proud New Yorker, wine and scotch aficionado, and lover of animals, especially her cats. She made the world a richer place. I am so grateful to have had her as my grandma, and know that she will always shape who I am.

Grandma, I love you more than I can ever put into words. Thank you for making me me, and making this world a better place.

-The second grandkid (Kate)

Thelma was one of a kind. She was a wonderful woman, brimful of heart, soul, intelligence, moxie. Her smile lit up the world, and she had the best laugh I ever heard. She enriched the lives of so many over the years -- family and friends, students, children who saw her plays . . . everyone who had the joy of knowing her. She leaves a large gap in this sad world. We will always miss her, but always be glad to have had her in our lives. Rest in power.

Jamie and Susan,

 Your mom was one of the bright lights in my life and always believed in me and how I showed up in the world. Thanks for sharing her with so many that she supported like a mom, Please send my sympathy to Susan too don't have her contacts.

Hope you know how much  your care meant to your mom and all of us. Thanks for all your care. Blessings to you. I feel your mom every day with me during this covid time as I work with children of the  1st responders and  all the creativity that seems to get activated with and for these little ones I feel it's your mom's encouragement in college that is reignited and the sense of play she encouraged. Forever in my heart and inspiring me Thelma.

Love,

Anne Marie

Thank you Thelma for letting me be part of your life. By raising a wonderful daughter, Susan, you gave me the best gift anyone could have. After college, I surprised Susan by showing up one night at the theatre at Stratford, Canada. I was camping in a rain-soaked pup tent on the Stratford fairgrounds, and you and Susan convinced Fred to let me into the camper. He was a bit worried about me, but the two of you prevailed, as you always did! From there on, I was part of the camping trips, the theatre trips, the Sunday morning breakfasts, and the joy of the McDaniel family. From that Stratford trip to the time you, Susan, and I traveled across England in 2012, it was always an adventure. Rest easy knowing that the legacy of love you gave to Susan, Kate, Amy, and me will last forever.

To Grandma,

You were the best and most original grandma there ever was. You laughed danced and sang with us. You and Poppy were such a big part of my life and I am forever grateful.

You took Mike and I everywhere in the summer. We had such wonderful trips together and you and Poppy were always such fun to be around! And when mom came with us it was even better. I loved spending Christmas and anytime we could be at your place on Tamiami Trail. I loved that house and I loved being with you. I will have such fond memories of swimming in the pool and playing shuffleboard. Going to the beach to build sandcastles and swimming in the ocean and walking the beach with you and Poppy.

You and Poppy also made it possible for the four grand kids to be so close when we were kids. Then as I got older and Poppy passed away you still took me to go see Kate and Amy every summer and the three of us became like sisters.

So Cheers to T. McD! The best grandma I could ask for! You will always be in my heart.

-Sarah
The 3rd grandchild

The best house guest a person could ever hope for, Thelma taught me how to be a real New Yorker. Every morning in the rocking chair, reading the paper or working the puzzle and reviewing her schedule for the day. She was up before us and often out after we went to bed. She hit the pavement running. She enjoyed every inch of Manhattan; especially the theatres, of course, visiting old friends, great food, even the public transportation. Thelma was a treasure. How I wish I had taken her class at Eastern, but I soaked up her creative spirit every chance I got. We looked forward to her visits and wish she could have come more often. Her radiant smile and beautiful energy linger to this day. A true theatre spirit; she guided so many and reminded us to play. She will be missed, but may she join that great cast in the beyond. 

Thelma McDaniel was my mothers friend and during the course of being an adolescent and young adult she and her family became my friends.  It was her warmth, laughter, engaging manner of living and loving which drew me close to her.
What I loved most was Thelma's voice, both literally and figuratively. The way and the words she spoke, her expressiveness, and the sound of her was a constant attraction for being with her.
I hoped as an adult I would be like her. She was my Collen Dewhurst. May she and her family know her voice remains inside me and I can still hear her.

I will miss Mom for the rest of my life. She was my mother and my friend. We enjoyed doing so many things together throughout our lives. This gave us a special closeness. We shared so many things. We shared our love of family, our love of theatre and the arts, our love of nature, and our love of justice and integrity.

I am so happy she was able to be at the weddings of my daughters and to meet one of her great-grandsons. I am fortunate that I could spend weeks at a time with her in the last few years. I loved just being in her company. We were so comfortable together.

Mom delighted in her family. She loved us all so much. She still does, and we love her forever.

If people want to donate please do so to:

Koste/McDaniel Drama/Theatre for the Young Scholarship Fund
Https://www.emich.edu/foundation/give/index.php?fund=01833

 

Yep. A toast to Thelma !! I loved those happy hour cocktails, sitting on Jamie's back porch(es) when Thelma would come and visit and later on, to live. 
I feel very lucky to have had a person like her in my life and know, so many people have the same feelings.  Her feisty, hearty laugh, her knowledge base, her ability to be in any group of people and be comfortable and the never forgetting impression she left on anyone who was lucky enough to hang with her.  Politics, world events, religion, movies, books, writing, fashion.....she was a very interesting and enjoyable girl. Thelma in a beret and scarf and boots to go out on fall and winter days? That girl could "rock" those beret's. 
We're all going to miss her and Jamie, as my friend, I know you'll be sad and that hole in you heart sticks around always, but many, many memories and stories to remember and tell forever, helps. Cheers to Thel-Bel. We'll have to hit the porch again, soon. My heart goes out to all of the family.    Lori

Mom,
I love you and will miss you so much. 
I will write more but wanted to say how much you mean to me and your family. You are everything to us and we will always have the best memories of you as a mom, grandmother and great grandmother.
A toast to Thelma!!
Remember to eat half of a banana.
Love you,
Jamie

THELMA’S POEM

Oh, Sweet Thelma! What ARE you doing?
Leaving all your pals here boo-ing and hoo-ing
COVID, cowards, bullies and Brexit!
A sensible time … for a timely exit.

But, oh, the legacy you leave behind!
You romantic girl with an NYC mind!

You excited example of a life well done.
With humongous heart and love of fun
With energy and empathy your course has run
From Staten Isle winters to Florida sun!

But your legacy, Thel! What you did. What you left.
Aside from family and students bereft
That love and light can conquer all
From home and classroom and rehearsal hall.

It’s ALL rehearsal, you would say
So spread your wings and fly away!
And so we did … and so we do
But gather now to honor you

You taught us to share your love of play
You’re in our hearts and there you’ll stay.

With affection and respect
The “other” Fred