As police continue their investigation into a fatal motorcycle crash on Keene’s West Street Tuesday morning, tributes have flooded in from family and friends of the man who died.
On Tuesday morning, Danny Blood 2nd, 29, of Keene was driving a 2007 Suzuki Boulevard motorcycle east on West Street when he collided with a 2006 Jeep Liberty driven by Katherine Morelli, 19, of Keene, according to Keene police.
Morelli was traveling west on West Street, making a left turn onto Island Street, police said, and was uninjured in the crash. Blood, who was traveling east on West Street, suffered serious injuries and died after being taken to Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchco*ck Keene, according to police.
Police haven’t said yet whether either person was at fault, and Detective Joel Chidester said the investigation could take days or weeks.
In the meantime, the effects of the tragedy have rippled through the community.
Dozens of people have pledged donations to a GoFundMe page set up for the family, raising $5,000 in two days. Messages of condolences have accumulated on Facebook from mourners and well-wishers.
Those closest to Blood remember him as a font of energy, whose optimism never seemed to fade, and whose supportiveness extended from family members to members of his tight-knit football team.
He played football throughout his time at Keene High School, at Becker College in Massachusetts and beyond, playing for the Monadnock Marauders semi-professional football team. He started a landscaping business from scratch, growing it into a livelihood and pouring long hours into it throughout the week. He had a close role in raising his niece and nephew, and bought a house, hoping to start his own family someday.
Blood could never seem to stop moving. But in anything he did, friends and family say, he was a force.
To Eva-Marie Blood, his sister, Danny was a grounding force in their childhood. Stubborn, at times bossy, but good-hearted and motivated by love, Danny Blood was always ready to stand up for others, she said.
“No matter how hard he was (in an argument), he’d always end the conversation with ‘I love you,’ “ she said by phone from her home in Boiling Springs, S.C.
Vicci Tarr, a longtime family friend in Keene who thinks of Danny and Eva-Marie like children, said Danny’s intensity extended to all corners of his life.
He kayaked, skied, snowboarded, sky-dived — any activity to attach his energy to. He was a devoted uncle to his nephew Lamont and his niece Jasmine, doting on them and constantly talking up their accomplishments.
“The kid just loved life,” she said.
Raised largely by his mother, Joanne Moore, Danny and his mom had a close bond, Tarr said. He would visit her often, and keep in continual contact. He’d make sure other friends gave the same respect to their own mothers.
Eva-Marie Blood agreed — “A bit of a mama’s boy,” she recalled.
According to Eva-Marie, Moore has been hospitalized at Concord Hospital since Danny’s death, in treatment for heartbreak syndrome, but is expected to be released from the hospital today. The American Heart Association describes the syndrome as a stress-induced physical condition affecting some who experience emotionally stressful events.
Fellow Marauders teammates said Blood forged close bonds with friends as well, bringing an infectious, if brash, spirit both on the football field and off.
“He was very enthusiastic; you could hear his voice over others (on the field),” said Michael Salce, who helped coach him at Keene High.
The energy was a natural motivator for his teammates, according to Salce. And it applied as much to any room he walked into as to the football field, other friends said.
But his personality extended beyond his booming voice. Blood went to lengths to help others, friends said. He inspired several classmates to get through examinations in high school. He would show up to charity basketball games on a whim. He’d lend his support to friends who lost loved ones, and was expert at knowing when someone was feeling down.
And his hard work at making his business, Country Flair Lawn Care, thrive, provided constant inspiration, friends said.
“Danny was the type of friend that anybody wants — he was loyal, selfless, gave the shirt off his back,” said Jared Keller of Stoneham, Mass. “There’s a void in my heart that’s never going to be filled.”
Ethan DeWitt can be reached at 352-1234, extension 1439, or edewitt@keenesentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EDeWittKS
