The oldest of five children, he was raised as a Mormon. His mother, Laura Fiscus, viewed her son's natural independence as a mixed blessing. When Danny Faulkner was 11, Fiscus divorced his father and moved her children from California to Colorado. Danny Faulkner became a de facto parent, taking charge of his brothers and sister during the hours between the end of their school day and the end of their mother's workday."He watched out for me and the younger ones," Fiscus said. "He was the leader of the pack. He was my protector."
After Danny left home at 18,
Faulkner bought a Harley motorcycle and happily embraced the hard-core hog-lover's lifestyle. He wore leathers. He joined an outlaw motorcycle gang.
His size and bulk - Faulkner was nearly 6 feet tall and weighed more than 200 pounds at his heaviest - earned him the job and reputation as the gang's enforcer. He boasted that his new nickname, "Bummer," was what people said when Faulkner appeared to show targets their subordinate role in his universe.
"Whenever someone on the gang was crossed, they'd send my dad to take care of it," said his daughter, Christina Fox. "When he came into the room, people went, 'Bummer."'
Danny was a worker, gainfully employed:
He was a licensed electrician and occasionally worked as a subcontractor. He was among the electricians who helped convert the former downtown Denver department stores into high-end condominiums in the 1980s and 1990s.
He didn't have much use for fancy clothes or other expensive habits:
He lived modestly. He spent little on clothing, favoring a standard uniform of jeans and a T-shirt - "a T-shirt with a derogatory saying on it," Christina Fox observed - when he wasn't in his leathers. He saw no reason to invest in music that postdated his favorite band, ZZ Top. He kept his shoulder-length hair in a ponytail and rarely trimmed the beard that fell to his chest.
Apart from rent and utility expenses, his paycheck went into his Harley, trips to biker conventions in South Dakota and weekends in the Black Hawk casinos.
Danny had some luck at gambling:
His luck at the casinos became a minor legend, especially after he won $80,000. He spent the winnings on two new Harleys - one for himself, the other for his girlfriend. He bought tiny Harley jackets for his two young grandsons.
Now, Obituary Writers take note. Here's how you gently tread the topic of criminal convictions.
Periodically, Faulkner relied on income through even riskier channels. At least eight times during his adult life, Faulkner was arrested on suspicion of possessing or distributing marijuana and dangerous drugs, and he served a three-year term in 1993 after being found guilty of a drug-related felony.
His checkered criminal history sat uneasily on his relatives' shoulders. His mother prefers to remember her son's tender side.
Everyone has done a good deed in their lifetime. Ms. Martin took the time to find one of Danny's:
Four years ago, she had to put down her longtime pet dog. When Faulkner found out, he promptly rode his motorcycle over to the Fiscuses' trailer home. When he saw his mother, he undid his leather jacket and tenderly brought out a little Boston terrier puppy.
"Mom, you have to have a dog," he told her. "You've always had a dog."
And then there's this touch, that makes it seem like Danny lives on. His mother insisted Danny be buried in a suit, even though he hated them. And that he be wearing new underwear. Christine, Danny's daughter, says:
"I wanted him to be buried in his leathers and his biker boots. "A suit and tie? My dad would never wear a suit, ever. It wouldn't happen. When they asked me about underwear, I said that I thought Dad never owned a pair. He's probably feeling very constricted."
A donation fund has been established.
The family suggests donations to Dan the Flagman Memorial Fund, in care of any local US Bank.
Danny had a big family:
Besides his daughter and mother, survivors include son Mykal Faulkner of Dacono; stepfather Keith Fiscus of Thornton; brothers Lawrence Faulkner of Denver, Jimmy Faulkner of Scottsdale, Ariz., Kenneth Faulkner of Thornton and Robert Faulkner of Strasburg; sister Kerrie Ramirez of Littleton; and two grandsons.
I hope the grandsons were allowed to wear their little Harley jackets to the funeral. And that someone thought to put a ZZ Top CD in his coffin.
Rest in peace, Danny Faulkner. And thanks, Claire Martin, for bringing out his humanity.
