A friend remembers Danny Kane

By Ginny Raue
WEST MILFORD — He wasn’t a super-hero, a corporate CEO or a movie star. But he was a rich man - rich in what could only be called an abundance of love and respect.

Danny Kane was a husband, father, family member, teacher, coach and friend and on Saturday, April 25, when the Irish Whisper Walk of Hope in Memory of Danny Kane kicks off at Pinecliff Lake in West Milford, many will be there; walking for a cure for mantle cell lymphoma, the illness that took Kane’s life in 2009 at the age of 57. They’ll be fulfilling Kane’s wish to help fund the Lymphoma Research Foundation, working toward the eradication and successful treatment of the disease. Among the walkers will be Mary Reinhold.

Remembering DannyReinhold, the principal of Macopin School in West Milford, met Kane in 1978.

“He was my first friend at Macopin and he got me involved with the group at school,” she said.

She knew him as a co-worker and a friend and their families grew close as well.

When asked to describe the man, Reinhold didn’t falter.

“The best way to say it is that he was a friend to all. It didn’t matter who you were or what your status was. He loved the kids and he was dedicated to teaching,” she said. “His number one love was his family but his friends and the students were right up there, too.”

Kane, who taught at Macopin for 35 years and touched many young lives, courageously fought the illness and often downplayed its gravity.

“When he died I was shocked because he had always managed to fight through it,” Reinhold said.

The origin of the Irish Whisper

Kane was diagnosed in 2006 and that year Kane and his wife, Patti, and his children, some friends and teachers, including Reinhold, joined a walk for lymphoma research in Hanover. He walked for the last time in 2008 but the team kept growing, so much so that the West Milford-based walk now represents the Lymphoma Research Foundation in Northern New Jersey.

“Danny walked to help with research for himself and, if that didn’t work, then for the next guy. Hopefully, it’s making a difference,” Reinhold said.

In the last five years, Irish Whisper has raised $305,000 and some breakthroughs have been reported, Reinhold said.

School spirit, giving spiritTo help the cause, Macopin School, under the direction of teacher Gregg Vetter, has been hosting yearly volleyball tournaments; students vs. students, then students vs. teachers. All proceeds are donated to Irish Whisper, and the legacy of a well-loved teacher stays relevant. This year’s game at Macopin netted $1,000.

Never to be forgottenAs time goes by and new hires come on board at Macopin, it stands to reason that some of the current staff members never knew Kane. Reinhold will handle that.

“He left a lasting memory for me and as long as I’m here we’ll keep his memory alive,” she said.