By Jillian Poland
Daniel Cabral, a Framingham State University graduate, died May 4, 2017. He was 23.
Cabral was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts on July 24, 1993. He graduated from Plymouth North High School in 2011 and Framingham State in 2016, where he majored in communication arts. Cabral worked as a server in several restaurants in Framingham and Plymouth.
Cabral is remembered by both friends and family as a genuine and animated young man. Eric Foley, who has known Cabral since middle school, recalled a show Cabral put on in sixth grade with his band “Work in Progress.”
“He wanted me to make a documentary video of the night. I came over to see the entire sixth grade at his parents’ house. ... He had his big afro and was going to town on the drums. At one point, he ripped his shirt off and threw it into the crowd of sixth graders,” Foley said.
Dan and Karen Cabral, Daniel’s parents, said that kind of humor was characteristic of Cabral. “He was fun-loving. ... When he saw you, he hugged you and that was his way of greeting you. He loved everyone,” said Karen Cabral.
Cabral was also a caring friend. Alaina Chin, who knew Cabral for six years, said, “There have been countless times that he’s let me cry in his arms and just talk and give me advice. ... He was an amazing friend, truly one of a kind.”
Margaret McCauley, Daniel’s aunt and godmother, said, “Daniel had a rhythm all his own. ... He always proved to be the life of the party at home with his family, with the dear friends he made at his beloved Framingham University, and beyond.”
When choosing a college, the family visited a number of schools, but Cabral knew he wanted to go to FSU from his first visit. “He just went there for the day. And he just fell in love with the Framingham community. ... He loved Framingham,” said Karen Cabral.
Many people felt his love for the community. Dr. Derrick Te Paske, chair of the communication arts department, said, “Within the communication arts department, Dan was well known for his enthusiastic spirit, and he clearly loved FSU and the department.”
Cabral is survived by his parents, Dan and Karen Cabral; his brothers, Justin Warren and Brett Cabral; his aunt and godmother, Margaret McCauley; and other friends and family members.