Authors: Janet and Allison Graff
Dan was born in Oregon, but grew up in Ellensburg, Washington where his dad’s family worked their fields growing corn and hay for the nation. During High School, Dan was a member of Kittitas County Search & Rescue in the State of Washington serving under Sheriff Bob Barret in the years 1967 – 70. He was involved in many rescue missions, later becoming the team lead. This volunteer service was near and dear to Dan’s heart, as it was a family affair including his brothers and his parents. In 2019, Dan enjoyed his 50-year reunion with his original Search & Rescue Team in Ellensburg, WA (see photo below. Dan’s mom made their vests, which Dan is wearing).
Dan enlisted in the US Navy 1970-73 working in Interior Communications. After an honorable discharge, he bought a house and remained in Portland, Oregon.
Dan is an alumnus of Portland State University, graduating with a BS in Economics 1980. He put himself through school working as a paralegal for Schwabe Williamson.
Dan enjoyed running, skiing, sailing, rock climbing, hiking, tennis, racquetball, and horses, so he joined the team at the Mountain Shop in the early 80s. At the time it was located at about NE 7th & Broadway, and he worked with owner Pete Hoff’s team Kathy Arn, Tony Hufford, Marc Coors, and Tim Stacklie. Dan also managed Pete Hoff’s Cloud Cap Chalet for some time. The Mountain Shop gang was one huge party of fun with all the latest and greatest ski and outdoor gear. A favorite memory of his was that they would sled down the stairs at the mountain shop after hours! They worked long hours and Slim, the Mountain Shop tech, always had food on hand for some bites between boot fittings, ski match-ups, or deciding what mountaineering essentials or camping gear to send a customer out into the wilderness with. Dan never forgot how fun that was and wanted to give back to the Mountain Shop that meant so much to him.
After a career in marketing and business development, Dan retired, but as a fan of life-long learning, he wanted something to keep him busy. In 2017, Dan joined Parkrose Hardware as their barbeque chef, helping to grow their business by hosting educational cooking seminars, their annual Taste of Parkrose barbeque festival, and coordinating employee appreciation events. Dan always made time to pop into the Mountain shop to bring fresh, mouth-watering barbeque for the team to enjoy together. There he made new connections and loved the community at the Mountain Shop, with special shout-outs to Marcus, Eric, Kathy Arn, Jeremy, and many more. We thank you all for loving Dan.
CLICK HERE to visit his Memorial Website.
CLICK HERE to visit his Kudoboard, where you can see more pictures and you can add your own memories about Dan.