Danielle Lillian Fritschen

Danielle Lillian (Garafola) Fritschen, 34, passed away peacefully at her home in Lorton, Virginia on August 18, 2024, following a courageous 15-month cancer battle.  She leaves behind her loving husband Joe, and two beautiful children, Arlo (3) and Lulu (2), who will miss her beyond measure.  

Danielle, or “Dani” to many friends, possessed a beautiful character.  So many friends and family described her the same way: selfless, compassionate, kind, loving, humble, talented, genuine, gorgeous.  Her passion was helping others, whether through simple acts of kindness, her work in human services, volunteering her considerable artistic talents to charitable causes, or just being a genuinely caring human being for friends and family to lean on.  She found pleasure in supporting Hope Children’s Fund over the years and twice traveled to their orphanage in Africa to spend time with the kids and provide whatever support she could while there.  

Danielle was an amazingly talented artist, who loved drawing uniquely creative monsters—often but not always the friendly variety—but her creative talents extended to any project she took on.  Her favorite holiday was Halloween, during which she loved to extravagantly decorate the house and host friends at her made-from-scratch garage carnivals, in addition to crafting unique costumes for her children.  Beyond her creative endeavors, Dani loved to travel and experience unique cultures, spend time in nature, check out the local thrift stores, enjoy the company of friends, and enjoy life’s simpler pleasures.

Family was the most important thing in Danielle’s life.  Having grown up in a large Italian family from New York, she cherished her many aunts, uncles, and cousins who brought so much joy and color to her life.  She was the epitome of a loving mother, and despite having far too few years with Arlo and Lulu, imparted an immense amount of joy, love, compassion and learning that will surely leave within them a reflection of her beautiful spirit.

The world lost a bright light with Danielle’s early passing, but her legacy will live on through her children, her art, and the indelible mark that she left on all who experienced the joy of knowing her.

Danielle is survived by her husband, Joseph; her son, Arlo, and daughter, Emberluna (aka “Lulu”); her mother and stepfather, Linda and Mark Raskin; her father, James Garafola, and his wife, Kerriann; her parents-in-law, Michael and Paula Fritschen; her sisters, Jessica Garafola (Spencer), Lilly Garafola, and Shannon Saar; her brothers, Matthew and Michael Garafola; her stepbrothers, Andrew Raskin (Colleen) and Jon Raskin (Erin); her sister-in-law, Renee Erridge (Nic); and numerous loving aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

A celebration of Danielle’s life will be held at Wesley United Methodist Church, 711 Spring St SE, Vienna, VA on Saturday, September 7, 2024, at 11:00 AM.  A reception will immediately follow the service.  In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to or sponsoring a child with Hope Children’s Fund, Danielle’s favorite charitable organization.  Donations or sponsorship can be initiated via their website, https://hopechildrensfund.org.