Robert L. Daniels, 86, formerly of Germansville, died July 10, 2023, in Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehabilitation, South Whitehall.

Born May 15, 1937, at home in Lynn Township, he was the son of the late Earl L. and Catherine M. (Oswald) Daniels.

As a child, he grew up on the musical westerns of Gene Autry, “The Singing Cowboy.”

He collected photos of hot rods and fire trucks, loved polka and country music, and became a big fan of Marty Robbins, and later, Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette.

He learned Pennsylvania Dutch and always enjoyed the opportunity to speak with others who knew the language. “Kannst du Micka fange?”

In January 1959, while drag racing along Route 309 in New Tripoli, he caught the eye of Eleanor M. Boger.

They hit it off at The Hub, quickly fell in love, and soon married on June 27 of that same year.

Reflecting upon the early days and nights of their whirlwind courtship Eleanor said, “I knew what I wanted and grabbed him before anyone else could.”

He and Eleanor were together and married for 63 years.

Known affectionately to his friends as “Gus,” he was a member of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics, Knights of the Golden Eagle, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and was a volunteer firefighter for New Tripoli Fire Company.

He frequented Grandview, Dorney Park and Mahoning Valley speedways, where he occasionally raced stock cars and served as a handicapper and announcer.

He enjoyed vacations, trips to Atlantic City and Penn National Race Course, going to numerous concerts, his many pets (especially cats), bingo, and time spent with family.

Based on a carefully kept collection of greeting cards, coffee mugs and cheap T-shirts, he was known to be the “World’s Greatest Dad.”

He served in the National Guard, most notably stationed at Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas.

Back in Pennsylvania, he was a blue-collar, working-class hero employed at Trojan Powder Company before spending many years as a truck driver for Maislin Brothers Transport.

On the side, he would make late night mail truck runs from Allentown to Harrisburg.

After Maislin went bankrupt, he went into business for himself as a beer tap and coil cleaner serving many area bars, taverns, clubs and restaurants.

At Big John’s Ontelaunee Park, Lynn Township, he could be seen slinging beers behind the bar.

During summers, he worked the ice cream stand. At both, he was known to enjoy supping that which he served.

He worked long hours and sometimes would be found passed out at the dining room table, exhausted from doing bookkeeping way into the wee hours.

He believed in an honest dollar for an honest day’s work and did more than his fair share of the latter.

Like Joel McCrea’s character said in Ride the High Country, “All I want to do is enter my house justified.”

Whether he felt that way at the end of every workday cannot be known, but he was appreciated and loved by family, friends and co-workers, nonetheless.

He will be sorely missed for his feisty charm, good humor, and occasionally gruff, but always loving nature.

In addition to his wife, survivors include his daughter Gloria (Daniels) Stoudt; his son Robert Daniels II; grandchildren Candice Stoudt and Henry Moyer-Daniels; great-grandchildren Corey and Justin Pahula, Lukis Hargreaves, Kloie and Jason Westwood Jr.; and great-great-grandson Awstyn Pahula.

He was predeceased by his sister Annamae J. Folk, granddaughter Sara M. Hargreaves, and great-grandson Chase R. Pahula.

No funeral services are planned at this time.

Donations in his memory may be made to The Sanctuary at Haafsville at thesanctuarypa.org or Forgotten Felines and Fidos at forgottenfelines.org.

Condolences may be made at nesterfuneralhome.com.

Arrangements were made by Nester Funeral Home Inc., New Tripoli.