Photos by Gabriella Anzelc.
To the world, he was known as Dr. Daniel Gerald Tynan. To his patients, he was known as Dan-the-Man. But to junior Sabrina Tynan, he was simply Dad.
“He was one of my favorite people that I think I’ll ever meet just because he was so controversial and not afraid to say something that is kind of horrifying, but everyone’s thinking it,” Sabrina said.
Sabrina is a daddy’s girl through and through. Walking in her father’s STEM footsteps as a Biology major on the pre-med track, the pair were inseparable from the very beginning — he truly was her other half.
“My dad and I were always pretty serious, pretty intellectual, night owls, same interests, same humor,” Sabrina said. “The similarities between my mom and my brother, and then me and my dad, were so stark in the family.”
Sabrina first started noticing her father’s health decline after Waves Weekend in 2024. Known to possess a very sharp, stubborn personality, she noticed that her dad was now more elated and laid back.
“I’m like, ‘Wow, I guess he’s adjusting to me being gone,’” Sabrina said. “He’s kind of just going with the flow, but he’s not a go-with-the-flow type of person.”
As the months went on, Sabrina and her family started to notice her father’s significant cognitive decline, to the point where they took him to the emergency room the night Sabrina came home for winter break in 2024. The scans came back revealing a brain mass, with Dan having mere months to live.
“It’s scary because you don’t know what the timeline is,” Sabrina said. “‘Is it weeks or is it months?’ And so I kind of just dreaded getting a phone call from home.”
Surrounded by family, Dan passed away a few months later on March 4, 2025.
The Shock of Grief
There is no cure for the jolt that loss brings. No matter the time, situation or person, the first reaction to grief is a result of the human condition.
Chase Stegall, a 20-year-old sophomore and soccer midfielder from Atlanta, was described as a man of strong character, a friend to all, but above all, he was like a brother to Farren Phillips, a senior at Kennesaw State University.
The pair grew up together at Woodward Academy in Atlanta. Chase graduated from Woodward in 2023 and went on to play Division 1 Soccer at DePaul University in Chicago.
“He hung out with me anytime I needed him to be there,” Farren said. “That really made me smile because he was in soccer training, so he was coming back and going to Atlanta. So for him to be able to make quality time for me really meant a lot. He’s just always there for me.”
On June 2, 2025, Chase unexpectedly died of a seizure.
“It was probably one of the worst days I’ve ever had in my life,” Farren said. “I’ve lost people, for sure, but that hit hard because it was so unexpected.”
Clinging on to the Present
As grief enters lives, it tends to swallow one’s sense of being. Daily routines and safe spaces are now subject to the overpowering nature of grief. Many times, the only response can be clinging to the present.
“I still talk about him in the first person,” Farren said.
Throughout her grieving process, Farren found that being around her community lightened the heavy load of grief.
“I think it only gets better with time and with good people around,” Farren said. “I think the people that you surround yourself with truly make the grief process a lot easier.”
Sabrina and her father held a tradition of sending emails during her first semester at Pepperdine — these emails are now treasured forever. The contents would vary, some poking fun at Malibu stereotypes, others offering wisdom on navigating college.
One email in particular still makes Sabrina smile. Daniel wrote this after dropping Sabrina off at New Student Orientation (NSO) during her first year:
“With your departure, I’m gonna have to come up with a new hobby or try to get back to work. Mom will end up killing me if I can’t get out of her hair, and it’s not gonna be easy in that new house. Long walks with Lucy [our dog] will take up much time,” Dan wrote in an August 2024 email to her.
These emails, serving as a tangible resource for Sabrina, have been a powerful tool as she navigates grief.
“We always had such a close relationship because [he] was very vulnerable about his college experience and his struggles,” Sabrina said.
Return to Normalcy
Experts often assist those processing grief by providing step-by-step healing guides; however, Farren and Sabrina have discovered their own personal walks with grief.
“There’s no timeline on grief. Not at all,” Farren said. “And there’s no handbook on it either, so we don’t even know how to process it.”
Gradually, Farren felt a return to normalcy — despite taking longer than she anticipated.
“Honestly, I would say right at the year mark, I was like, ‘Okay, I can breathe,’” Farren said. “‘It’s real, this is what it is.’”
After her father’s passing, Sabrina returned to Pepperdine in the spring of 2025. The return back to the slightest bit of normalcy was mechanical for her at first.
“It was so crazy because you’re kind of in survival mode; it’s mind over matter,” Sabrina said. “I didn’t pay attention to ‘what was’; it’s just ‘what is.’”
Sabrina said she was met with overwhelming support, love and care from her Pepperdine community. Her big sister in her sorority bought her groceries, while classmates and professors constantly checked in on how she was.
“It was hard coming back to a campus that had such great memories, but also such hard memories,” Sabrina said. “I’m remembering freshman year — moving in with my dad and the excitement — but the fact that he wasn’t there was really frustrating. Because a year ago, I had pictured a future for myself that was so different.”
After Chase’s death, Farren had to transition from summer to the school year, while also attending Chase’s memorial services and funerals. The loss of one friend is the loss of any friend, Farren said.
“Everyone plays a specific role in my life, and they bring value to me in some sort of way,” Farren said. “When you’re that close to somebody, I think it truly makes such a hard impact on you more than you would think it does on a regular basis.”
Rediscovering Oneself After Death
The nature of grief is the swallowing of the life once known. Yet Sabrina and Farren both discovered that their loved ones have revealed aspects of themselves that have been hidden.
“Losing anybody, honestly, is very eye-opening and it makes you realize life is extremely short,” Farren said. “You just never know when it’s your time, unfortunately, and I don’t think any day should be taken for granted.”
As she continues to walk daily amid the fog of grief, Farren said she is anchored by Chase’s everlasting character. Her introverted nature has intensified since his passing, yet she still finds herself in his affectionate smile.
“I would say I keep him present by just having the same mindset that he did, with positivity,” Farren said. “This sounds like such an exaggeration, but I’ve never met somebody who’s so positive about stuff.”
The loss of such a friend revealed to Farren the truth of her and Chase’s friendship.
“He would be proud of me for being where I am today,” Farren said. “Good or bad.”
Sabrina experienced similar revelations, with her father’s death giving her the tools to now have hard conversations with others as a form of empathy.
“It’s remembering who I want to be,” Sabrina said. “A part of me definitely died when my dad died, and so whoever I used to be, where I thought I was going to be, doesn’t exist anymore. Instead of being broken over it, I’m going to let it break me, so it can make me into a better, stronger person.”
Revival Within Grief
Grief is like a rushing wave — it can take many different forms as it knocks one off their feet. It changes one’s world, causing life to be seen in a different light.
However, the love that once existed on this Earth never truly goes away. It provides an invitation to lean into one’s faith, into their community and ultimately into their lost loved one.
“Friends like that [Chase] are just once in a lifetime,” Farren said. “I’ll never try to look for him in other people. I leave it right where it was. I had a great friend. I still have a great friend.”
This story was copy edited by Lila Rendel.
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Contact Shalom Montgomery via email: shalom.montgomery@pepperdine.edu