Daniel Sylvain is gone too soon.
The 40-year-old died in a snowmobile crash in Dover Township on Saturday, February 15.
The loss is tough for his family, especially his parents and 12-year-old son, who are doing their best to cope and remember the good things.
"He was full of life," Pat Sylvain, Daniel's mother, described. "He had a huge heart... He would do anything for anybody. People could call, at the drop of a dime he'd be there. Helping people all the time."
She also called him a jokester with an infectious laugh that will be remembered.
"We called him Boone," Pat shared. "Like Daniel Boone. That was our nickname for him."
Like his namesake, Sylvain was an outdoorsman. In the summertime, he would likely be found on the lake boating or fishing. In the winter, he was on a snowmobile. He was also an avid duck and deer hunter.
"Daniel died doing what he loved," Pat said. "He was so happy when there was snow, that he could go snowmobiling, right from age 12 until his last trip on the snowmobile."
Despite having many years of experience, Sylvain didn't come home from his last trip and so his family urges anyone who plans to go out on the trails to be cautious. "Speed kills," Pat added.
Sylvain was an electrician and used his trade to help out all over town.
"[He] wired many houses and repaired a lot of things around the community," his mother said. She added that in Grande Pointe, everybody knows everybody, and that the community has rallied around their family.
Pat shared that their family is facing a major change. She and her husband will now be raising Nathan, her young grandson.
"He's sad," she said of the 12-year-old. "But he's coping." She added that helping to organize and go through his father's things seems to be helping him.
As a recent retiree, Pat's biggest worry is Nathan's future and his education. A GoFundMe campaign started to create a fund for Nathan has already seen $2,320 raised in just two days.
A Celebration of Dan's Life will be held at the Dover Kinsmen Club, in Grande Pointe, on Saturday, February 22, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
"It's going to be wall to wall people," Pat predicted, saying that everyone she's spoken to, who knew her son, has confirmed that they'll be there to celebrate and remember him.
The funeral will be private.
The family asks that in lieu of flowers, anyone wanting to give please contribute to a fund for Nathan's education and future. Details on how to do so can be found here or at the GoFundMe campaign.