Don Daniels

Donald Bernard Daniels , 88, of Winter Haven, FL., passed away Monday, May 29, 2017 at the Spring Lake Rehabilitation and Nursing Home. Don was born on August 9, 1928 to Bernard and Alma (Johnson) Daniels in Siren, WI. He was the fourth of four children.  After graduating from Siren High in 1947, Don worked in construction until he was drafted into the Army in 1950. He served for two years before receiving an honorable discharge.  Most of his military time was spent in Germany where he served with the Fifth Army. It was fitting for Don to be called Home on Memorial Day, as he was a true patriot who was always proud to march with the Lund/Brown Post American Legion for services in Siren. On September 19, 1953 Don married his sweetheart, Joan Elizabeth Anderson.  They were blessed with four sons. Don worked in construction in Minneapolis until 1956.  His family then moved back to Siren where Don pursued his dream of having his own business, first by driving a milk truck and eventually purchasing a backhoe to do excavating in the area. This grew into Daniels Plumbing and Heating, Inc., the business his son, Dayton, continues to own in Siren. Don was in business for over 50 years, and the last 30 years he and Joan worked side by side. Providing indoor plumbing to many homes was quite innovative, since neither Don nor Joan grew up with such modern conveniences. Don also installed sewer systems and a great share of the water and sewer lines in the Siren community. His ability to remember depths of pipes proved to be valuable information if ever there was a frozen line or blockage. He valued his employees, considering them friends, and sought to help them in any way possible to make the job run smoothly. When not working, Don and Joan took the boys on memorable camping trips to California, the Black Hills, and family Bible camp. After retirement, they escaped the winter months by traveling to Arizona and Gulf Shores, AL before finally settling in Winter Haven, FL. Siren was always home, but Winter Haven provided a wonderful community of friends. For their 50 th Anniversary, Don and Joan took an unforgettable trip to Sweden, where they visited Don’s relatives from both sides of his family.  As an adult, Don followed his father in his devotion to his Lord and Savior. He had a deep appreciation for Gospel music and loved listening to his wife, his children, and his grandchildren sing. Don was an active member of Siren Covenant Church and served as chairman for a number of years. He also served on the Siren School Board, was a member of Lund/Brown Post 132 American Legion, and served as President of the WI Association of Plumbing and Heating/Cooling Contractors in 1993. After moving to Florida, both Don and Joan enjoyed working at Disney World during the winter months. Watching the Green Bay Packers and any sport his sons or grandchildren played brought him great joy, and a personal athletic feat was riding his bicycle across Minnesota in the MS 150 and the MS TRAM.   Don is preceded in death by his parents; brother, Burdette; and sisters, Alice and Harriet. He is survived by his wife and best friend, Joan; sons, Douglas (Sandra) of St Paul MN, David (Pam) of Siren WI, Dayton (Nancy) of Siren WI, and Dean (Michelle) of Birmingham AL; grandchildren, Stephanie (Spencer) Heidish, Sarah (Jeremy) Salo, Katie Daniels, Jim (Katie) Taylor, Nick (Katie) Taylor, Troy Daniels (Kelly Brown), Adam Daniels (Stephanie Mohrmann), Dayna (Cole) Meyers, Courtney (Collin) Tewalt, and Harper Daniels; and great-grandchildren, Spencer, Trevor and Emma Heidish, Cadence and Owen Salo, Jacob and Ava Taylor, Abby and Max Taylor, Holden Daniels, Emmitt Daniels, and Westin and Ezri Meyers. A visitation will be held on Friday, June 2, 2017 from 5-7:00pm at the Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home in Siren. The celebration of Don’s life will be held at Siren Covenant Church on Saturday, June 3, 2017 at 11:00am (visitation from 10-11:00am) with Pastor Brian Pardun officiating. Don will be laid to rest at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Spooner, WI. Arrangements were entrusted to Swedberg-Taylor Funeral Home in Siren. Online condolences may be expressed at swedberg-taylor.com with memorials preferred to Siren Covenant Church.