Obituary of Daphne Hannig

Daphne Hannig, 25, of Palo Alto, left this world Jan. 4, 2015, in the presence of her family. Daphne's wit and beauty seeped into her music, her poetry, her sketches and her everyday conversation. She wasn't merely loved; she was worshiped. Daphne was born to Frank Hannig and Karen Guttieri, Oct. 21, 1989, in Vancouver, British Columbia. She graduated from Foothill Middle College in 2007. At Foothill College, she studied linguistics, English, and art history. She had plans to go to art school and to teach art to children. She talked sometimes about becoming a journalist or maybe a poet. Daphne spent time in New York caring for her young cousins and waiting tables. Even in a huge new city her presence was electric, drawing admirers and new friends on the street and in the corner store. In Brooklyn she crafted songs on her guitar in her bedroom into the night. Daphne returned to California and worked a series of ultimately unsatisfying jobs �" in a coffee shop, a bakery and elsewhere. What she loved was making art. She moved to Vancouver and enjoyed Northern Soul shows and time with her Vancouver cousins, family and friends. With cajoling, Daphne learned she could overcome her fear of performing before an audience. She was singer and songwriter for her band, The Amy Lynns. Her singing voice had a strained, almost country-like twang, a sad yet fierce quality that reflected Daphne herself. Sometimes her lyrics exposed her longing. "Do you not care about shooting stars or miracles?" she sang. And sometimes she sang with a simplicity that was key to Daphne's cleverness. "Everything you say makes me laugh, but it makes me real sad to think about that," she sang on "Sailing Ships" from her album "Future Crimes." Her quiet lullabies soothed her young, restless cousins to sleep. To them, she was a goddess who offered schooling in the important things: new dance moves to Salt N Pepa, the meaning behind their astrological sign and why Elvis wasn't welcome on television. Daphne was a profound thinker who found meaning in all experiences and sought an enlightened perspective. She mocked Millennials. She was unbeatable at Boggle. She loved Elvis and RuPaul, Clark Gable and Harry Potter. She rarely lost an argument. Daphne's magic was especially on display when accompanied by her sister, Contessa. The two of them riffed off each other's words with unmatchable wit. Onlookers marveled at their performance of "Sistah, Sistah." Daphne loved her little sister so much. Daphne had a special radiance that leaves us all empty now that she's gone �" and one that we can only hope to attempt to replicate in her honor going forward. Daphne is survived by her mother and father and step-parents, Rodney Searcey and Mei-Hui Yang, her beloved sister, three loving pets, numerous cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends. A memorial will be held at Saint Mark's Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Avenue, Palo Alto, CA 94306 at 2 p.m. on Saturday, January 17th with reception to follow. Spangler Mortuary is assisting with services www.spangermortuary.com. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Rock Medicine, part of HEALTHRight360 (http://www.healthright360.org/services-offered/rock-medicine or 1735 Mission Street San Francisco, CA 94103), which provides emergency aid at concerts, marches and other gatherings, or Victory Ranch Inc. (http://www.victoryranchinc.org/home.aspx or 828 Owens Lake Dr. San Jose, CA 95123), a non-profit that offers healing through equestrian activities.




To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Daphne Hannig, please visit Tribute Store