Robert Daniel's end of watch: Mayfield jailer's tornado heroism honored at funeral

MAYFIELD, Ky. — He went by “Harpo” to his friends and family members, a childhood nickname that stuck for 47 years.

As he was laid to rest Saturday, though, they called him a hero — Robert Daniel, witnesses say, chose the lives of people in the custody of the Graves County Jail last weekend over his own as the deadliest tornado in the state’s history laid waste to Mayfield, the town he called home.

“You know it’s true whenever you hear it from the inmates,” said George Workman, Graves County jailer. “They said that he was taking care of them, telling them to get to the wall, which is the safe place. They were headed that way, and the last that they saw of him. He was pushing the last one of them in.”

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Daniel, a father of seven with seven grandchildren, saved seven incarcerated people, Workman said Saturday at the deputy jailer’s funeral. Rows of family members lined the pews at an emotional service in Brown Funeral Home near what remains of downtown Mayfield.

The facility was filled to the brim, and after the previous weekend, each person in attendance seemingly had their own story. Edward Jackson, for instance, was in the crowd just a week after helping save his daughter and 11-year-old granddaughter when the car they were in was thrown off the road and atop a building during the storm. Many in Mayfield are still without access to power and other utilities more than a week later.

But Daniel, Jackson said, had earned the reception — under any other circumstances, his bright smile and off-the-cuff sense of humor would brighten the room. There were tears Saturday, but Jackson said Daniel would appreciate the laughs from friends and family members that pierced through the muted crowd during the visitation before the funeral.

“He always had a smile on his face,” said Jackson, chief deputy of the Graves County Jail and a yearslong friend of Daniel. “And if you needed anything, he was there for you.”

Jackson convinced Daniel to rejoin the jail’s staff about six months ago, he said, as the pair worked together in the department years ago. He’d recently taken charge of supervising a group of people in custody who’d work nights at the nearby Mayfield Consumer Products candle production facility, which was filled with employees as it took a direct hit from the EF-4 tornado Dec. 10.

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Eight people at the factory died, and the statewide death toll has risen to 77 so far. Brown Funeral Home will be busy in coming days — the facility’s first funeral for a tornado victim took place Friday, and additional services are planned on Sunday, Monday and into the new week.

“It’s hard, especially when it’s somebody you know personally and that you’d worked with for quite a few years,” said Jackson, who sang a hymn at Oak Rest Cemetery during graveside services honoring Daniel. “… It’s very, very tough to process him passing and the way this town is just torn up to pieces.”

Still, Daniel’s infectious energy could be felt by those who came to pay their respects.

Many family members wore the blue and gold in a nod to the Los Angeles Rams, Daniel’s favorite NFL team. His brother, Alonzo, wore a custom “R Daniel” jersey, and one of superstar defensive lineman Aaron Donald’s jerseys hung next to the casket. Tyce Daniel, his son, said Donald's jersey was sent straight from the Rams’ locker room by NFL tight end Kyle Rudolph, who knows someone affiliated with the family.

Daniel was buried with a pair of Rams gloves in his casket, and he was wearing his Graves County jailer uniform — a common sight in the crowd.

More than a dozen jail staffers were at the funeral home, with several rendering honors as the ceremony began. They arrived about 8 a.m. to practice their roles for the service, with jailers exchanging hugs and tears before the visitation began at 11 a.m. A number of incarcerated men were in attendance as well, offering condolences to Daniel’s family as they left the funeral home after the service.

Corrections officers “tend to be forgotten,” Workman said, and rarely get the recognition that police officers and firefighters often receive. But Daniel laying his own life down for people in the jail’s custody, he said, was a testament to his dedication.

“The only person you ever expect to die for you is Jesus Christ,” Workman said, his eyes red from tears. “(Daniel) did it for seven of them that he hardly even knew.”

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At Oak Rest Cemetery, Daniel was honored with a three-volley salute, and a bagpipes player offered a rendition of “My Old Kentucky Home” as the casket was unloaded in a cold December wind.

Jackson sang a hymn for his friend and colleague, prayers were said, Graves County put out an end-of-watch call over a loudspeaker, and the crowd dispersed quietly just before 4 p.m.

Many had more funerals to prepare for.

Lucas Aulbach can be reached at laulbach@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4649 or on Twitter @LucasAulbach.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Mayfield jailer funeral: Robert Daniel honored after killed by tornado