Daniel Sykes

Daniel V. Sykes, age 61, of Lily Lake, IL, passed away in the early morning of March 12, 2018 at home surrounded by the love of his family. Dan was born on August 13, 1956 to proud parents Valentine and Helen Sykes. He grew up in Hanover Park, IL and attended local schools. Dan was always the fixer even at an early age; he got it from his dad. Dan and his dad would go on and on for hours talking about electronics and fixing them. One of Dan’s first big accomplishments came at the early age of ten where he converged a color television set. When he was growing up, one of his favorite places to be was at the Hanover Park Fire Department where he was a paid on-call fire fighter before the age of 18. While at the Hanover Park Fire Department, Dan graduated high school and moved on to University of Illinois for special firefighter science training classes. He received many certificates and later transferred to Elgin Community College to continue his studies. After Dan moved on from Hanover Park Fire Department, he worked for Gits Plastic Company for a short time. Little did he know, he was about to be co-workers with the love of his life, Mary McAloon. They were instantly smitten and became the best of friends and partners. During their courtship, Dan would drive every night to see Mary in Berwyn: not even accidents would stop him. Only a few years after they met, Dan and Mary were united in marriage at St. Leonard’s Catholic Church in Berwyn, IL on April 8, 1979. They then went to build their home in St. Charles, IL and started a family. Amy was the first of his children and Dan never thought he could be any happier, until his family was completed by his son, Ryan. Dan’s children were his most precious gifts. After his short time at Gits Plastic Factory, Dan moved to work for Carol Stream Fire Department. After only a few years, they asked him to help them work on their radios which was where his passion lied. Since the early age of 10, Dan loved to work on electronics. After finding out he had a knack for all those wires, Dan moved to work for 911 Dispatch Center as a full time radio technician. He was a wizard with wires and ever so brilliant. Later he helped build a dispatch center from the ground up. After working as a radio technician, Dan went to work for DU-COMM in Glendale Heights as a technician where he worked five days a week and offered on-call services. He retired after 25 years of public service. Dan also worked on the railroads to be a technician, walking in the footsteps of his grandfather. In Dan’s free time, when he wasn’t building and fixing radios, he was using them. Every Sunday night at 7 p.m., like clockwork, Dan would join a weekly net of people talking about current events over Hamm Radio using Morse Code. Dan was an avid train collector. The railroad ran through his blood and couldn’t help but to collect everything he could. He was also a Jeep aficionado. When the kids were younger, Dan and Mary would take them to different events in seven different states across the country for off-roading, at least once a year. Dan was also a big nature lover and took Mary and the kids to Colorado and Wisconsin, Warren Dunes in Michigan, and Washington State to different camp sites. Every site they camped at Dan made sure that everyone was comfortable, trying to get as many electronics hooked in as he could. He was also very cautious when it came to his children and would child-proof every site they camped. Dan, without a doubt, always provided for his children: when they needed or wanted anything, he was there for them. When Dan and his family weren’t out adventuring through camp sites and off-roading with their Jeep, he was one amazing cook and baker at home. He was a Renaissance Man of many trades, especially when it came to his family. If something needed to be done for them, he was on the job. Dan was a man of many passions, some of which included not just electronics, trains, and his family, but of Star Trek. He knew every single episode by heart and every character to have ever crossed the screen of his TV; he grew up on them. Another show he watched intently was Firefly. Dan may have loved sci-fi, but never as much as he loved his family. Dan was as stubborn as they come, but would always explain himself so you could understand where he was coming from. Dan had a rough edge, but he had such compassion for everything, big or small. He was the most kind-hearted person you could meet. He will always be proud of his children and their accomplishments. Dan was an amazing father, a wonderful son, and a great brother. He will be missed so much and will always be remembered for his kind heart and everything he did for his family. Dan is survived by his loving wife of 39 years, Mary Sykes; two children: Amy L. Sykes and Ryan S. Sykes; his father Valentine Sykes; two siblings: Patricia (Ted) Turner and Tina (Dan) Cox; six nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his mother, Helen Sykes and his great-niece June Cox. Visitation will be from 6-6:30 p.m., March 17, 2018, at Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn, IL with a memorial service to follow to celebrate his life at 6:30 p.m. A memorial has been established in Daniel’s name. Checks may be made to the “Daniel Sykes Memorial” and mailed in care of P.O. Box 66, Elburn, 60119. Tributes may also be forwarded to the same address, the Conley Funeral Home Facebook Page, or at www.conleycare.com.

A memorial service to follow to celebrate his life at 6:30 p.m. March 17, 2018, at Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn, IL.

Visitation will be from 6-6:30 p.m., March 17, 2018, at Conley Funeral Home, 116 W. Pierce St., Elburn, IL.