Robert L. "Gus" Daniels

Robert L. Daniels, 86, formerly of Germansville, PA, died on July 10th, 2023, at Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehabilitation, South Whitehall, Allentown. Born May 15th, 1937, at home in Lynn Township, New Tripoli, he was the son of the late Earl L. and Catherine M. (Oswald) Daniels. As a child, Robert grew up on the musical westerns of Gene Autry “The Singing Cowboy." He collected photos of hot rods and fire trucks. He loved polka and country music, becoming a big fan of Marty Robbins, and later, Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette. He learned Pennsylvania Dutch and always enjoyed the opportunity to speak with others who knew the language. “Kannst du Micka fange?"

In January 1959, while drag racing along Route 309 in New Tripoli, he caught the eye of Eleanor M. Boger. They hit it off at The Hub, quickly fell in love, and soon married on June 27th of that same year. Reflecting upon the early days and nights of their whirlwind courtship Eleanor said, “I knew what I wanted and grabbed him before anyone else could.” Robert and Eleanor were together and married for 63 years.

Known affectionately to his friends as “Gus,” he was a member of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics, Knights of the Golden Eagle, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and was a volunteer firefighter for the New Tripoli Fire Company. He frequented Grandview Speedway, Dorney Park Speedway, and Mahoning Valley Speedway, where he occasionally raced stock cars and served as a handicapper and announcer. He enjoyed vacations, trips to Atlantic City and Penn National Race Course, going to numerous concerts, his many pets (especially cats), bingo, and time spent with family. Based on a carefully kept collection of greeting cards, coffee mugs, and cheap t-shirts, he was known to be the “World’s Greatest Dad."

Robert served in the National Guard, most notably stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Back in Pennsylvania he was a blue-collar working-class hero employed at Trojan Powder Company before spending many years as a truck driver for Maislin Brothers Transport. On the side, he would do late night mail truck runs from Allentown to Harrisburg. After Maislin went bankrupt, Robert went into business for himself as a beer tap and coil cleaner serving many area bars, taverns, clubs, and restaurants. At Big John’s Ontelaunee Park, he could be seen slinging beers behind the bar. During summers, he worked the ice cream stand. At both, he was known to enjoy supping that which he served. 

He worked long hours and sometimes would be found passed out at the dining room table, exhausted from doing bookkeeping way into the wee hours. He believed in an honest dollar for an honest day’s work and did more than his fair share of the latter. Like Joel McCrea’s character said in Ride the High Country, “All I want to do is enter my house justified.” Whether he felt that way at the end of every workday cannot be known, but he was appreciated and loved by family, friends, and coworkers, nonetheless. He will be sorely missed for his feisty charm, good humor, and occasionally gruff, but always loving nature.

In addition to his wife, survivors include his daughter Gloria (Daniels) Stoudt, his son Robert Daniels II, grandchildren Candice Stoudt and Henry Moyer-Daniels, great-grandchildren Corey Pahula, Justin Pahula, Lukis Hargreaves, Kloie Westwood, Jason Westwood Jr., and great-great-grandson Awstyn Pahula. He was predeceased by his sister Annamae J. Folk, granddaughter Sara M. Hargreaves, and great-grandson Chase R. Pahula.  

No funeral services are planned at this time. Donations in his memory can be made to The Sanctuary at Haafsville at thesanctuarypa.org or Forgotten Felines and Fidos at forgottenfelines.org.

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