Paddleboarders encounter whale off Bethany Beach
Two of the three paddleboarders were filming.
The Millville, Ocean View and Bethany Beach communities are mourning the loss of beloved Giant Food employee Brett Danver.
Danver worked at the Millville grocery store since its opening nearly 20 years ago, wrangling carts and helping customers in the parking lot, store manager Bob Suttmiller said. By all accounts, Danver was outgoing, talkative and kind, leading many to count him as a friend.
“Regular customers really got to know him. People were always talking about how friendly Brett was or how Brett helped them,” Suttmiller said. “He loved to talk to the kids and the moms, and he was just always open to a conversation.”
Danver, 52, died Thursday, Feb. 20 just after arriving to work. His cause of death is not yet known, but his mother Johanne Danver said he collapsed and went into cardiac arrest.
Johanne Danver has been stunned by the love and support the community has shown since. She knew her son had a lot of friends, she said, but the number of people writing about him on social media, sending cards and reaching out to express condolences has been overwhelming.
Who was Brett Danver?
Johanne and Henry Danver’s four children grew up coming to Bethany Beach every summer. Brett moved to the area with his parents in the early 2000s, when he got the job at Giant.
Brett was a big sports fan, more than one person said.
Mark Kane worked with him at Giant for about a decade. “He would see (regulars) pull up and would meet them at the car with a cart or just to talk about the recent games,” Kane said.
About 11 years ago, Brett overcame cancer. A survivor of embryonal sarcoma, his mother said, he had surgery and went through chemotherapy.
“We were so proud of him for the way he faced that battle. He was a warrior,” Kane said.
Brett loved Coca-Cola and a good bag of chips or a doughnut, his coworkers said. They came to look forward to days when he was on the store’s walkie-talkies.
“It was always a good day when Brett was on. You know you would get a sports update and a joke. Not always a good one, but always made you laugh,” Kane said.
A lot of Brett’s personal success could be attributed to his coworkers, Johanne Danver said.
“In a world now where corporations are really kind of impersonal, that Giant is really a family,” Johanne Danver said. “They all work together. They’re teammates. They were his extended family.”
So many sympathy cards came in, the store put a box up front for them, Suttmiller said. One card came from the unlikeliest place.
“There’s a Weis supermarket right across the street. Two days after Brett passed, that manager came over here with a sympathy card that everyone in the store signed. Everyone over there knew him too – our direct competitors,” Suttmiller said.
Posts about Brett’s passing on social media garnered hundreds of comments from people who said he always made their day a little brighter. Many recalled playing basketball with him; one man called him “a Sea Colony basketball legend.” Others remembered him looking out for kids, the elderly and dogs.
He always had a quip for the kids, many said, asking them, “Are you behaving?” Other times, he simply called out: “Here comes trouble!”
A bit west of Giant on Atlantic Avenue in Millville, Michael McCarthy Stones is honoring Brett on a large sign out front.
“Brett Danver, 1972-2025,” it reads. “We’ll be on our best behavior.”
Shannon Marvel McNaught reports on southern Delaware and beyond. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @MarvelMcNaught.
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