Daniel J. Timmel, a social worker who was a tireless advocate for the rights of the disabled people living in institutions and nursing homes, died of pancreatic cancer Sept. 27 at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson.
The Cockeysville resident was 62.
The son of Fred Timmel, an electrical engineer, and Marge Timmel, a special-education teacher, Daniel Jahn Timmel was born in Baltimore and raised in Catonsville, where he graduated from Catonsville High School.
He received a bachelor's degree in psychology from Towson University in 1979. Then he obtained a master's degree in social work in 1981 from the University of Maryland School of Social Work.
From 1985 to 2001, Mr. Timmel was a clinical associate professor and director of the University of Maryland Sudden Infant Death Project.
He counseled families, taught medical residents how to help grieving families and later analyzed reviews of unexplained deaths in order to improve care for at-risk children.
Mr. Timmel worked from 2001 until his death at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Woodlawn. He advocated for quality-of-life issues for people with disabilities who live in institutions and nursing homes.
He also was a believer in home- and community-based services for seniors and individuals with disabilities. Family members said he played an instrumental role in the development of regulations and policies to improve quality-of-life services for institutional and community-based care.
He was the 2016 recipient of the Arthur S. Flemming Award, presented by the National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities.
Mr. Timmel's hobby was restoring a 250-year-old log cabin in Hunt Valley. He also enjoyed traveling in Europe.
A memorial service was held Oct. 1 at Central Presbyterian Church in Towson.
He is survived by his wife of 37 years, the former Joanne Valerie Moxley; a son, Matthew Timmel of Norristown, Pa.; a daughter, Jennifer "Jeny" Timmel of Baltimore; his mother, Marge Timmel of Catonsville; and a brother, Paul Timmel of Catonsville.
—Frederick N. Rasmussen