Dennis A. Daniels age 74, of St. Michaels, Minnesota and formerly of Sheldon, Iowa passed away on Tuesday, October 18, 2016 at his home in St. Michaels, Minnesota.
His service will be 2:00 pm Sunday, October 23, 2016 at the Vander Ploeg Funeral Home in Sheldon, Iowa with Rev. Donald Erickson officiating. Burial will be in the East Lawn Cemetery in Sheldon. Visitation will be from 1:00 pm until the time of service at the Funeral Home.
Arrangements are under the care of the Vander Ploeg Funeral Home in Sheldon.
Dennis Arthur Daniels was born on May 30, 1942 in Primghar, Iowa to Arthur and Mabel (Richter) Daniels, their only son. Dennis attended school in Missouri and then graduated high school from Sheldon, Iowa.
Married on May 10, 1963 to Sherry Anderson of Sheldon, Iowa. The daughter of John and Margaret Anderson. Dennis and Sherry were married for 53 years and had three children. Todd Mitchel Daniels currently living in Grand Forks, North Dakota; Terry Lee Daniels currently living in Warsaw, New York; Tami Joy Boe currently living in Saint Michael, Minnesota. Dennis and Sherry have five grandchildren, Avery John Arthur Boe, 12 years old, Jaxson Daniels Boe, 11 years old, Courtney Lee Daniels, 11 years old, Carson Patrick Daniels, 9 years old, Bellamy Durham Boe, 6 years old.
Dennis in his early years enjoyed such hobbies as gunsmithing. He bought and traded guns, enjoyed trap shooting, rode motorcycles and snowmobiles and also had his pilot license.
Dennis and Sherry started raising dogs and had a dog kennel in Sheldon. They raised over 100 adults and puppies and sold them all across the United States. Later on, they opened and operated Daniels Station Store. A gas and grocery store that was open 365 days of the year also in Sheldon. The family then moved to Albion, Nebraska where Dennis worked in sales. That was the beginning of the family becoming Nebraska Cornhusker fans “Go Big Red.”
The next move for the family was to Benson, Minnesota where Dennis worked for Loral. He then decided to start his own company with a partner which became National Agri Service, located in Moorhead, Minnesota. Dennis sold and leased Easy Riders or the “green machines.” After many years in the Agri business, Dennis decided to retire and moved close to his daughter in Saint Michael, Minnesota. He couldn’t stay retired for long, so he decided to drive school bus for Saint Michael/Albertville, Minnesota and then later would drive bus for the City of Minneapolis Metro Transit for seven years. He had some great stories of his adventures in the north side of Minneapolis.
Due to health issues, he had to quit and concentrate on treatment for his re-occurring cancer. He fought bladder cancer for 18 years. In his battle with cancer he lost five organs. He finally lost his battle with cancer on October 18, 2016 at 1:21 P.M. He died at his home with his wife and kids and the dumb dog – his nickname for the family schnauzer pet – Ella.
Dennis loved working and spent many years doing exactly what he loved. He enjoyed his family and kids and especially watching any football game. In the last years of his life he was able to travel to Oregon and California and then to New York to visit his son and grandkids. He loved to revisit Wyoming; he admired and loved seeing the Grand Tetons. He called it “God’s country.”
He was preceded in death by his parents.
