Born and raised in Maine, his father Sidney was a WWI veteran and his mother Mary a school teacher. Unable to be drafted out of high school into the Army because of poor eyesight, Dan went to the University of Maine in 1942 with an intent to graduate in the field of engineering. One of the proudest moments of his life was when a second draft came for able-bodied soldiers and the recruiting doctor turned a blind-eye to his bad eye and let him enlist. Serving his country as a sergeant in the 81st Air Service Squadron in WWII, Dan was stationed in Italy, Yugoslavia, Malta and Tunisia fixing aircraft instrumentation.
Returning home after the war ended, he reinvested his time in his studies through the GI Bill. He changed his focus to a more natural calling, earning his bachelor of science in poultry husbandry. While at the University of Maine he was a member of the Lambda Chi fraternity. Following this, he continued in his education earning a masters degree in poultry husbandry from Kansas State. During summer school there, he met the first love of his life. In 1950, Dan wed Leoma Nehring, who would soon provide him with five rascal sons and a beautiful daughter. After graduating in 1951, the new family lived and worked in Iowa, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and Wisconsin. During his time at the University of Wisconsin, Dan also would earn his Ph.D. in poultry science and a membership in the Alpha Zeta fraternity. Their final move in 1963 brought the family to the Pacific Northwest, setting down roots in Puyallup. Dan continued work for the next thirty years as a poultry specialist, doing research and extension work for Washington State University and traveling abroad with USAID to Yemen. He was a respected and published author of many professional articles. You may have read some of his more famous works, “Care of a Small Flock of Chickens” and 1983’s darker “Guide to Culling Hens”.
With a patient and tender mother and untiring and dutiful father, the two would raise their six children to become hard-workers and caring parents of their own in the decades to come. Sorrowfully, Leoma passed away in 1976 as the children were leaving the nest.
Dan could usually be found working on one of the many properties he owned, loving to get his hands dirty with a project. He also loved his treasurer position with Boy Scout Troop 174, numerous scouting projects and hikes and helping cultivate 4 eagle scouts. He was a voracious reader and loved bringing over his month-old magazines to pawn off on family members at get-togethers. His favorite novels were the famed western writings of Louis L’amour, and the complete collection of Bill Watterson’s, Calvin and Hobbes. An ideal day for Dan at his house on Trout Lake would be mowing the lawn and finishing with a cold lager, a bowl of ice cream, and reading the daily “funnies”.
In 1992 he met his sweetheart Vaneda Stonack while volunteering at the Puyallup Fair. The two would travel the world together, especially enjoying their cruises and vacations in warmer climates of Mexico. Dan was a loving Grandpa to 27 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren who all enjoyed his dry sense of humor and appearances at family functions. He is survived by Vaneda, his sons Leonard, Daniel, Joel, Gerald, Martin, daughter Mary Baldridge and his sister Nancy Hunter.
A celebration of life will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Puyallup, where he served God faithfully for the last 50 years, on Wednesday, November 26th at 11:30 a.m. Continuing Dan’s legacy of generosity to the community, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Heifer International, one of his favorite charities.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18