Read the full obituary for Emerson student Dan Hollis
"For Daniel, life was about relationships and enjoying experiences with others."
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Daniel Hollis wasn’t just a student and an athlete, as many knew; he also loved music, was an artist, and hoped to travel abroad, his obituary says.
Hollis, a 19-year-old Emerson College student, died last Wednesday from brain damage he sustained during an altercation early Saturday morning, Sept. 28. He didn’t regain consciousness after the incident. As of Monday morning, Boston police said there weren’t any updates — or arrests — to the circumstances surrounding his death.
“[Hollis] looked forward to traveling abroad and expanding his creative pursuits through clothing design and marketing,” according to his obituary. “While often receiving recognition for his play on the field or ice, it was the camaraderie of the team that Dan most loved about sports. For Daniel, life was about relationships and enjoying experiences with others.”
Hollis grew up in Hopedale. He graduated from Hopedale Jr.-Sr. High School in 2018, where he was class secretary for six years. He also played lacrosse, hockey, and golf.
Read his full obituary:
Daniel J. Hollis, 19, of Mendon passed away Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019, in Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston with his family by his side from injuries sustained from an assault in Boston.
Daniel was many things student, athlete, leader, artist, music-lover, friend. He was just 19 years old and only beginning to experience the world around him. His family and the small town of Hopedale, Massachusetts provided a strong foundation from which he took off to explore the thrills of life in the city at Emerson College. He looked forward to traveling abroad and expanding his creative pursuits through clothing design and marketing. While often receiving recognition for his play on the field or ice, it was the camaraderie of the team that Dan most loved about sports. For Daniel, life was about relationships and enjoying experiences with others.
A 2018 graduate of Hopedale Jr. & Sr. High School, he served as class secretary for six years. He was a member and former Captain of the Hopedale Lacrosse Team where he is recognized as one of the State’s all-time leading lacrosse goalies. He also played and was the Asst. Captain with the Hopedale-Milford Co-Op High School Hockey Team, a member of the Hopedale High School Golf Team, and played for a number of youth hockey organizations and club lacrosse teams. At Emerson College, he was presently a member of the Emerson College Lacrosse Team.
Dan is survived by his parents Jason R. Hollis and Jennifer A. Kelly; his sister Kathryn L. Hollis; his paternal grandparents Richard and Maryan Hollis; many aunts, uncles, and cousins, and his trusted canine companion Bauer. He was predeceased by his maternal grandparents, Janet and Norbert Kelly, Jr.
Visiting hours will be Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, from 1-5 PM in the Buma-Sargeant Funeral Home, 42 Congress St., Milford.
A remembrance service will be held Sunday, Oct. 13, 2019, at 3 PM in the Faith Community Church, 146 E. Main St., Rte. 135, Hopkinton.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Daniel J. Hollis Foundation, c/o UniBank for Savings, 91 Prospect St., Milford, MA 01757.
Hollis’s family also released a statement to the media on Friday on the CaringBridge website they had used to give updates on Hollis’s condition.“Hard to ignore due to his height and strawberry-blonde hair, it was his infectious smile and dazzling blue eyes that danced with just a bit of mischief that pulled you in,” a portion of it says. “To put it simply, Dan loved life and wanted others to share in his happiness. He often quoted his favorite artist Travis Scott in saying, ‘I want people to have the best time ever. Especially if they’re around me.’”
