Celebration of Life held for Daniel Wilson after tragic plane crash

GLENVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) Family, friends, and the community gathered to honor Daniel Wilson at the Empire State Aerosciences Museum on Sunday afternoon. Dan died in a private plane crash in Rhode Island at the end of July.

Daniel Wilson was a Montgomery County Legislator and the President of the Empire State Aerosciences Museum (ESAM) at the time of his passing. He is remembered as a brother, father, grandfather and friend who had a passion for his community. His other passion was growing and renovating the ESAM. His friends and coworkers at the Empire State Aerosciences Museum said that Dan was an innovator, who's legacy will carry on through their mission.

Kevin Millington, former President of the Empire State Aerosciences Museum, said that Dan was a beloved coworker and friend, adding, “He was, just made everybody feel good. He never took credit either, but he always passed on the credit to other people as a result. We all loved working with him. You know, he got everybody working together. And again, the impact of that is really spectacular. But apart from the museum, we’ll miss him as a friend.”

His granddaughter Ava and her father, Dan Wilson II, said that Dan was a friend to everyone. Ava went on to say, "Grandpa is definitely one of a kind person who is amazing in every aspect of life. Arguably, there's not enough words to describe him. He was just so incredible. Everything he did had something that touched everyone, every single person that's coming in a totally different way."

His family said Dan wouldn’t want tears, but smiles– a reminder of the kindness and passion that he shared with others. Friends and family hope that Dan’s legacy lives on, not through how he died, but how he lived. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is still investigating the cause of the plane crash.