Rachelann (Thompson) Daniel

"Here lady, you fly the plane, you know more about this than I do." These were the words from a 30 year

old bush pilot in the outback of Australia. His comments were directed to a 60 something year old lady,

Rachelann Daniel. Her reaction, she took the controls and flew the plane back to the coast. An accomplished pilot, she had just talked the bush pilot through a soft field takeoff from a bush camp where she and her husband Matt Daniel had been hunting. One of the last of the greatest generation, Rachelann Daniel passed away on September 29, 2024 at the age of 99 years.

Born in Los Angeles, March 4, 1925 as Rachel Ann Price, her name before she was adopted by W. A. Scott and Caroline B. Thompson at age 2. She grew up in Los Angeles and later Long Beach where Scott Thompson was successful in the oil business. A good student, she attended college and graduated UCLA with a degree in English. After college, she took a job as a librarian in Twenty-nine Palms.

Always an adventurer, she had a horse and liked to attend rodeos. Needing to show her horse, she was referred to Matt Daniel, a farrier, bull rider and part time stunt double in the movies. Many said this romance between a society debutant and a cowboy would never last. But it did, for more than 50 years, from September 14, 1949 until Matt's passing, January 1, 2000.

They made their living together, Matt as a farrier for thoroughbred racehorses, and Rachelann as an elementary school teacher. After acquiring a thoroughbred racehorse named Abbey Light, they made enough to buy the ranch north of Sunnymead (now the City of Moreno Valley). There they raised a family, a son Scott Matthew Daniel and a daughter Laura Lee Daniel.

While raising a family is adventure enough for most, it was not for Rachelann and her husband Matt. They went on numerous hunting trips to Africa, Spain, Canada and Australia. Both learned to fly and Rachelann became an accomplished pilot. Her sense and spirit of adventure also led her to celebrate her 99th birthday riding a driverless, autonomous car (Waymo) on the roads of San Francisco - a memory she said she will always cherish.

Rachelann supported many nonprofit organizations, including creating the west coast scholarship under the Washington Crossing Foundation where she served as an honorary trustee. In April 2024, Rachelann was proud to establish a recurring, annuity scholarship fund for university students aspiring to contribute to our society through military and or government service. This scholarship was named after her late daughter Laura Daniel Brown.

Rachelann Thompson Daniel will be sorely missed by her dear ones who brought so much joy to her life. She is preceded in death by her parents Caroline B. Thompson and W. A. Scott Thompson, her husband Oren Matthew Daniel and her daughter Laura Daniel Brown. She is survived by her son Scott M. Daniel and his wife Susan O. Daniel, her grandson Matthew B. Daniel and his wife Nadia Pryadko, her granddaughter Victoria D. Collins and her great grandson Oliver B. Daniel.

Rachelann Daniel was forever grateful to her son-in-law Jess Brown who enhanced her life through fun filled memories, experiences and travels during the seven years since the passing of her daughter, Laura.

Rachelann will be interned with her husband Matt at Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana, California.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Washington Crossing Foundation based in Bristol, PA or the Agri-Culture organization based in Watsonville, CA.

Mehl's Colonial Chapel has been entrusted with the funeral arrangements.

Published in The Pajaronian · October 2, 2024