Daniel Perreault Nakajima, 17 years old, of Andover, MA, passed away Tuesday September 26th, 2017. Dan was born in Lowell, MA on December 24th, 1999. Dan lived most of his childhood in Brookline, MA where he loved and pursued art from an early age. By 9 he had a solo exhibition at the Lynn Museum Hartman Leigh Gallery. Dan attended Shady Hill School through 8th grade where he developed many long lasting friendships. He used his early love of computers to engage younger students in programming and contributed to the school's first Day of Code. Dan moved to Andover, MA in 9th grade to attend Phillips Academy. A diligent student, Dan was also known for his passion for basketball; he was often found playing pick-up games with friends or trying to perfect his shooting technique between classes. He connected with a variety of music, especially enjoying hip-hop and jazz. He performed Thelonious Monk on the piano at a school recital last year. A connoisseur of food, he sought out new culinary experiences locally and wherever he traveled, sharing his joy in eating by sending copious food photos to his friends. Dan did not discriminate between four star restaurants and food trucks in his search for good food. Friends and family looked to Dan for restaurant recommendations in Massachusetts and on distant vacations. Dan was a builder. Among many projects, he designed and built a DC motor and a Doppler radar system. He had a love for and expertise in computer programming, working on joint coding projects through the internet with friends all over the world. Dan was fearless in tackling technical challenges and did not quit until a job was done right. With summer internship experiences developing software and prototyping hardware, he planned to pursue engineering. Dan also found great joy in teaching and playing with children. Locally, he taught computer coding to young students at the Boys and Girls Club in Lawrence. Dan's engaging smile, kindness, and gentle, playful spirit touched many people. He is survived by his parents, David Perreault and Heidi Nakajima of Andover, MA; by his grandparents Shigehiro and Yasuko Nakajima of San Francisco, CA, and David and Judith Perreault of Needham, MA; by his aunts and uncles Gene, Howard, Brian, Maggie, Kevin, Gail and Julie; and by his cousins Mike, Nick, Jason, Lillian, Emma, Sachi and Kenji. You are respectfully invited to attend a memorial service Sunday October 8th, 2017 at 9 am Cochran Chapel, Phillips Academy 2 Chapel Ave, Andover, MA 01810 Following the service, you are invited to visit with Dan's family and loved ones at 67 Central Street, Andover, MA 01810 In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Dan's name to the following charities: Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence (where Dan taught K-6th graders coding): http://www.lawrencebgc.com/index.php?/donate/ 136 Water Street, Lawrence, MA 01841 Crisis Text Line (those in crisis text HOME to 741741 to text with a trained crisis counselor): https://www.crisistextline.org/donate/ PO Box 1144, New York, NY 10159