This is a glorious photo from the Graymore’s Kampala leaving party.  I was the official photographer and, due to the other role I took on as tequila waitress, most of the pictures are pretty blurred!  But this photo makes me smile and cry and laugh…. the joy and adoration and admiration Danny had for Louise radiates from him.  She was probably saying something very funny, and both of them were having the most wonderful, happy time hosting hundreds of us.  It is just too ridiculously sad that Danny has been taken from his family, his friends and from the world… it is a poorer place without him.

I am not surprised by the outpouring of love and admiration I have seen for Danny over the last week, because he was and is the most widely loved and admired person I have ever known.  It was a privilege to work for Danny as his Deputy in DFID Uganda.  He probably shouldn’t have chosen me as I wasn’t very good at deputy things, but I am so incredibly grateful that he did, and so grateful that I got the opportunity to get to know and love Danny and Louise.

Danny had no idea how completely lovely and brilliant he was.  He cared so much about everyone, about fairness and justice, about doing the very best he could, about the world, and most of all about his family.  I remember a leadership meeting we were having in the Graymore house when Elijah came into the room and Danny stopped the meeting to make sure Elijah was listened to and knew he was loved – Danny knew what was important.

When I think about Danny I think of him drumming, laughing, driving his landrover, enthusiastically making a point, listening intently, making too long speeches, raving about the weekend he had just had with the family (which Louise would report was actually a disaster), and above all I think of how much he adored his family.  Sending you all so much love.