by Daniel K Majewski
Obituary
DETROIT –
In the wee hours of the morning on Sunday, Oct. 22 Daniel K Majewski, 45, died of a massive heart attack. He had been tending bar at The Detroit Eagle all evening and was just getting ready to close. He owned and managed The Eagle with his partner, Frank Blondale, who was with him when he collapsed.
"We were in the middle of the best Saturday night we've had in over two years," wrote Blondale in an email. "Many guys were in who we hadn't seen in a long time, and Danny was talking and catching up with many of them. We had been at the bar since 5:30 p.m. that evening, and at 1:25 a.m. I walked behind the bar and said to Danny that I'd see if the guys could close up and we'd leave at 2 a.m. He looked at me surprised and said 'Why?', as if it would somehow interrupt everything. Five minutes later a heart attack took him."
Majewski had Associates Degrees in Accounting and in Culinary Arts. After a brief stint at an accounting office, Blondale and he opened a bakery together in 1985, specializing in high quality desserts for high end restaurants. Majewski excelled as a baker, and had many of the premier restaurants in Detroit serving his desserts.
In 1991, Blondale and Majewski took the opportunity to buy the Detroit Eagle. In 1994 Majewski was diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and the bakery was forced to close. Blondale wrote, "Through that and all of his later illnesses the one thing that kept him going was his love of bartending.
"Danny was truly a different person when he was behind the bar. He loved the interaction with other staff and with patrons. I could see in his eyes and demeanor that he was completely in his element."
Blondale said that he and Majewski had talked several times about our their mortality. "Danny was adamant that his funeral not be somber or prolonged. Instead, he wanted a celebration of his life at the Detroit Eagle. His birthday was Dec. 16, and in early December we will have that celebration. In lieu of flowers, he wanted any memorial contributions to be made to Triangle Foundation.Ó
Majewski is survived by his loving partners Frank Blondale and Thomas Stabnicki, his mother, Dorothy, his brothers of David (Gwen) and Kenneth, and nephews Tom, Jamie, Kenneth and Marc.
