Dan was an active member of Desert Palms UCC church in Tempe and over the years I took several photos that included Dan.  I have posted these on dropbox.com for anyone who wishes to download: 

https://bit.ly/2QveFkS

Click the box(es) on the left of the thumbnail photo and a DOWNLOAD box should appear.

The image DATES OF PHOTOS.jpg is a list of filenames and dates to give some reference to the photos.  In some of the photos, Dan is hard to spot, I included those to show the activity on that date.  

Bill Kaszeta

I will always remember my Uncle Dan as larger than life.  In a world where children were often ignored or discounted, he always engaged us kids.  He always made us feel special.  And he always had a different and exciting way to look at life.  Things that other people might not notice, Dan did.  I love that quote about the water dripping in time with the clock.  I'll always remember that.  I'll also always remember his youthful spirit.  He always was willing to go play with the "young dogs",  even if that meant risking a pulled back muscle trying to catch my brother Nick in an impromptu game of touch football in the street.  Dan lived life to the fullest.  It's all anyone can ask.  I'll miss you Uncle Dan. 

 Dan remains in our minds, as he always
will.  We wanted you to see our feelings as expressed here:
    Dan's Wisconsin roots instilled in him a level of energy that brought him into the lives of all who recall him with affection and admiration. His laughter resounds now somewhere beyond us.  Yet we can hear it within ourselves as we remember Dan with love.
                 Silvia and George

Sue and I first met Dan almost 30 years ago when Sue took a 2nd grade teaching job at Jordan Elementary school.  He quickly become an AZ Grandpa for our young son Joel. He would play basketball in the play room and toss Joel around like a football in the swimming pool. As Joel grew older Dan would engage him and us in discussions about early childhood education, and share stories about his glory days on the football and baseball fields. 

Dan was often accused of “making things up” yet it turns out he had a remarkable memory when it came to lyrics from songs or lines from movies or plays. One evening we were sitting around and discussing our favorite topic – food – and happen to mention that we saw on a recent cooking show an episode where they made “shoo fly pie.” Sue and I had never heard of this before, but when Dan heard “shoo fly pie” he started singing:

Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy 
Makes your eyes light up, 
Your tummy say "Howdy." 

The three of us just looked at him and then someone (probably Mary) said to him “Oh, Dan Courtney you are just making that up!” Well, thanks to the internet he was proven correct – it was a popular for song Dinah Shore in the 1940’s. We had never heard him sing it before but somewhere in that brain of his it was just waiting for an excuse to come out.

A story about him winning the homecoming football game as time expired seemed to good to be true too, until we found online an article from the October 25, 1947 Monroe Evening Star that proved him correct again. Not only did he catch the touchdown to tie the game, he then kicked the extra point to win it.

The last time Sue and I saw Dan we visited him at the Copper Creek Inn senior living home. The final song that evening was "Right Field" and he remembered every word and gesture without assistance.

I know Dan is still with us today, baseball glove in hand, joined by family and friends who have gone before, and just saying “I’ll save you all a spot on the team.”



OBITUARY

Daniel Eugene Courtney

March 12, 1930 – December 15, 2018

Valley of the Sun Mortuary & Cemetery

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