Standley Lake junior Lunger loved swimming

Felix Doligosa Jr., Rocky Mountain News

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

As his parents talked about training the family dog Wednesday, Daniel Lunger smiled his signature sheepish smile as his charming eyes twinkled.

The 16-year-old, eager to start the first day of his junior year at Standley Lake High School, ended the discussion with his everyday catch phrase.

"Love ya," Daniel Lunger told them.

Several hours later, Mr. Lunger died from an apparent cardiac arrhythmia, his family said. He was drinking a glass of water when he suffered breathing problems and a rapid heartbeat.

"He was healthy as a horse," said his mother, Susy Lunger. "It's one of those things we didn't know could happen to someone so young."

Mr. Lunger, known as a gifted and competitive swimmer who never hid his feelings, was born on Dec. 20, 1989, in Orlando, Fla.

At an early age, he became infatuated with the water when he visited the beaches in northern Florida. He began swimming competitively when he was 8.

"He was born in the water," said his brother, Matt Lunger. "Water had some special home to him."

His father, Howard Lunger, a Home Depot store manager, had to move the family to Michigan for work. Despite the climate change, Mr. Lunger still swam year-round in indoor pools.

"He was just a natural," said Susy Lunger. "He enjoyed the competition."

In 2000, the Lungers moved to Westminster where the teen worked even harder at shaving the seconds off his swimming times in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke.

At age 11, Mr. Lunger finally beat his older brother in swimming.

"He got so fast, and I stayed the same," said Matt Lunger. "When I went to visit him at the school this year, they were calling me Dan's brother."

Mr. Lunger swam twice a day six days a week during the summer. In his free time, he worked as a lifeguard at Countryside Pool in Westminster.

In his sophomore year, Mr. Lunger placed second in the state in the 100-yard backstroke and was ranked 13th nationally for the 50-meter freestyle for 15- and 16- year-olds.

He had plans to swim in college and study to become a firefighter. His ultimate goal was winning an Olympic gold medal.

"You better invite me to the Olympics in Beijing or London," Matt Lunger often told his brother.

Despite his fierce competitiveness in the water, Mr. Lunger was known to use his southern charm on dry land.

"He always had this big smile that sent this mental message," said Susy Lunger. "It tugs at your heart."

Mr. Lunger was never afraid to hug his male friends or say hello to a band player in high school. Whenever he had to get off the phone with people he cared about, he always made sure to say at the end, "Love ya."

A funeral service was held Saturday at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Lakewood. More than 750 people attended.

Mr. Lunger is survived by his father and mother, Howard and Susy Lunger; brother Matt Lunger, of Westminster; and grandmothers, Anne Hunt, of Westminster, and Norma Lunger, of Orlando.

Contributions may be made to the Daniel J. Lunger Memorial Fund at Key Bank, 1675 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202. The fund will go toward helping young people accomplish dreams similiar to Mr. Lunger's.