Art Daily was just another hockey dad when tragedy fell out of the sky. One ordinary afternoon while driving home from a youth hockey game, a boulder leapt from a canyon wall and smashed the Daily family’s car on Colorado’s Glenwood Canyon. Art was miraculously unharmed but in that shattering moment he lost everything.  His wife Kathy and two young sons, Tanner and Shea, were killed.

“I learned,” writes Art Daily, “to reach out to those who come behind me, and remain devoted to those who are gone.  I learned to put aside what I had long believed and to open up my heart." The key that opened Art’s heart was an anonymous note of sympathy from a woman he had never met, Allison Snyder. For two years, Allison and her family had been sorting through the grief and guilt caused by the loss of her beloved older brother to suicide. When she heard of Art’s tragedy while vacationing in Colorado, she felt compelled to reach out and offer what comfort she could. 

“There was something about that note,” Art recalls, “I wanted to meet the woman who had written it.” To Allison’s astonishment, Art managed to contact her and asked to meet, an encounter that would begin an amazing chain of experiences that awakened the recognition of true soul mates.

Alternating between Art’s and Allison’s perspectives, OUT OF THE CANYON is a memoir of their journey from unimaginable pain and loss to the blossoming of love, healing, and finally the strength to build new lives together.  Allison’s growing love for Art helped her to relinquish control and discover her authentic self.   “I now know there is a connectedness, a force that only strengthens with time and guides each of us in our lives,” writes Allison.

Art and Allison emerged from their sorrow dedicated to helping others facing devastating loss. At the end of their moving dual narrative, the authors reflect on their experiences and share lessons on surviving the loss of a loved one.  They offer their love, insights, and the assurance that it is possible to climb out of one’s own canyon of despair and into the light.  Art and Allison now have a family of their own and reside in Colorado.

Reviews

"Out of the Canyon is a riveting and powerful witness to the healing power of love and Spirit over the worst, most unimaginable loss. It both shatters your heart and deeply heals it all at once. Reading it will be a profound gift to all who have ever lost a loved one, or may."

— Sonia Choquette, author of The Answer Is Simple and Trust Your Vibes

"How can a book about unspeakable tragedy be uplifting and joyful? Allison and Art Daily's story manages to be that and more. It offers hope to all of us who grieve and stands as a tribute to the human spirit and the possibilities that exist even when we feel that there are none. Out of the Canyon shows us hope, inspiration, love, and yes, even joy."

 — Ann Hood, author of Comfort

"Kindred Souls. Aspenites Art and Allison Daily offer up their story of bereavement and new beginnings.... "

— Read The Full Review from 5280 Magazine out of Denver