Gary McDaniel’s seven-year long fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Scoliosis (ALS) ended at his home in Maplewood, New Jersey on Thursday, July 17. He was surrounded by his family, bringing to a close a life well lived. In lieu of a funeral, Gary hosted a “Party to Die For” Celebration at the Central Park Boat House in New York City on June 8 for 100 of his closest family and friends.
Gary, a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, was fortunate to begin his life in a happy middle class family in the midwest. He is survived by his parents, Paula (née Frederick) and Gary McDaniel Sr., who met working at the public library in Hamilton, Ohio before their senior year of high school. Although they’ve been married for over 57 years, they can still be spotted kissing in quiet corners. His parents taught Gary the importance of love and the power of partnership. Gary is also survived by his sisters, Melissa Tase and Shannon McDaniel, who taught him the importance of sibling camaraderie and competition.
Gary McDaniel
Gary was even more fortunate to meet his wife, Carla La Bianca in June 2003. He credits her with teaching him how to love deeply and made him want to be a better man, becoming the foundation upon which he built his life. He is also survived by his three children, Charlotte, George, and Frederick, who taught him how to be a father and made him want to be the best version of himself every day. He became a soccer coach, a baseball coach, a karate partner, and a Cub Scout Den Leader. He strived every day to be present in his children’s lives and to ensure they were surrounded by love, support, and encouragement.
Gary was also fortunate to cultivate an amazing group of friends, including many from his time at New York University Stern School of Business, as well as neighbors and fellow fathers in his Maplewood and South Orange, New Jersey neighborhoods.
In addition to his family life, Gary was fortunate to have professional success in a career that he enjoyed and was proud of. After earning his Masters of Business Administration from NYU and his Chartered Financial Analyst designation, Gary began a career in equity research at Standard & Poor’s where he was named “Best on the Street” by the Wall Street Journal for the quality of his research in media and publishing stocks. After leaving S&P, Gary helped to found an alternative asset manager, MJX Capital Advisors, before joining Guggenheim Partners as part of their effort to build an equity asset management capability. Gary helped grow Guggenheim’s footprint to include an industry leading ETF platform, a diversified lineup of equity mutual funds, and an industry/leading unit investment trust platform.
Diagnosed with ALS in February 2020, Gary fought the disease with optimism and persistence, aggressively pursuing any available treatment while working with like-minded organizations to raise money to advance research in an effort to bring potential treatments to market and increase access to available treatments for all patients. Upon realizing that these treatments were not working, in 2023 Gary began focusing on planning for his family’s future, ensuring they would be well looked after and well loved after he departed this life.
Gary co-established a scholarship fund at his alma mater, New York University, to ensure that students who have lost a parent can reach their full potential. In lieu of flowers, if you would like to make a gift to this memorial, please visit The Rob Milacci and Gary McDaniel Scholarship Fund at New York University.
