El Tinker

Born October 15, 1978, in Boston Massachusetts, El Daniels was the oldest child of Ellis and Mary (Biscoe) Daniels. He would later welcome a younger sibling, Jared. Both, El and Jared, were miracle babies.

El’s family moved briefly to Maryland before relocating to Maine. Here, the Daniels family grew with the addition of sister, Heather. Maine was home to El for more than 20 years. In high school, El played many sports until a knee injury prevented him from playing anymore. In his spare time, El found employment working in the kitchen at a local nursing home. He loved this job and deeply enjoyed working with the elderly.

El also worked as a lobster fisherman for a short while and even tried his hand at tuna fishing.
In 2015, El met Kellee Tinker in an online group, BAH, of which he was an admin for three years. El’s humor and wittiness caught Kellee’s attention and the two struck up an immediate friendship. Although the two claimed to just be friends for much of their early relationship, they realized they were meant for one another and the two married March 17, 2016, at the Equality Center.

A favorite activity for the couple was taking road trips. They drove to Chicago, Maine, Colorado, and Texas many times. However, favorite adventures were loading up in the car, picking a direction, and driving. This led them to the lighthouse on Lake Hefner and many trips to the lower Illinois. “Fish sticks” was the term they liked to use to describe where they were headed. This meant ending up somewhere so remote and random that you may get lost and cut up into fish sticks. Their destination was never important- as long as they were together.

These trips would later become known as the “Adventures of El and Kel” which are documented on their very own Youtube channel.

El was diagnosed with ESRD in 2012 which required him to be on hemodialysis. Kellee’s knowledge and natural caregiving ability allowed El to be on peritoneal dialysis at home. Despite his battles, El remained positive. "You Are My Sunshine" became a special song to both of them as it encouraged El to live life to the fullest.

Always taking care of his friends, El was consistently reaching out and offering help. Many would say he even saved their lives. Many people received messages and an ear to listen at their darkest times. His kindness was felt around the world.

Described as hilarious, El was always joking and had a smile on his face. He loved everything 80’s: love songs, The Goonies, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Back to the Future, and especially horror movies. He was also an avid Boston Redsox fan.

El passed away Sunday, September 20, 2020, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was 41.

He is survived by his spouse, Kellee Tinker, and children: Devin, Paige, and Alex Arnold; brother, Jared Daniels; sister, Heather Burns; sister-in-law, Jennifer Wedemeyer, and husband, Kevin; niece and nephew, Kenzie and Kylan Wedemeyer; mother-in-law, Gayl Falconer; father-in-law, Randy, and Deena Tinker; along with numerous other relatives and close friends.

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