Dan L. McCanna, 61, of Nichols, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, January 8, 2024, at the University of Iowa Hospital. A celebration of life will be held for Dan at the American Legion in Lone Tree, IA on Saturday, January 20th from 1-3pm. Memorials may be left to the family in honor of their beloved Dan.
On February 25, 1962, this one-of-a-kind man entered the world in Chicago, Illinois. He was the son of Jack and Jan (Moore) McCanna. He graduated from Sherrard High School, which is where he met the love of his life, Angela Crawford, and thrived off making her smile. The happiest day of Dan’s life was when he married his beautiful Angie on October 4, 1980. If you knew Dan, it was apparent that he looked at Angie with stars in his eyes and made it his ultimate goal to bring her happiness. On February 23, 1981, Dan became a father for the first time. Dan and Angie later brought three more beautiful children into this world together. You could always find Dan coaching one of their sports teams and working hard to give them the life that he thought they deserved. On May 18, 2004, Dan’s entire perspective on the world changed when he became a grandfather (papa.) This is when he found the joy in the little things such as taking his grandkids on ice cream runs, to the park, on four-wheeler rides, and saying the silliest things to make them laugh. It was clear to everyone that came across Dan that his family was his whole world and he beamed talking about their accomplishments.
Dan was one of the most hardworking men you would have ever met, and rarely took a second to rest. He took great pride in the many years he spent working in the food service industry and as a delivery driver. He also ran the deli and later became the general manager for Ski Snowstar where he met many life-long friends and was able to work with some of his children and granddaughter. Outside of work, Dan always kept himself busy, whether it was hunting, fishing, camping, or even taking several trips a day to the local gas station to get Angie her cup of coffee and to spoil his grandkids. Dan was incredibly handy and found joy in home projects and renovations. He was also a true friend to anyone that he came across; he looked for the best in everyone. His happiness was rooted in making other people feel appreciated and loved. Not only was he a people person, but he also loved to take his dogs Harley and Lincoln on car rides to search for deer and to get all the beef sticks they could ever need. Dan’s greatest joy in life came from watching his children and grandchildren grow up. Watching them do whatever it was they loved made him feel so incredibly proud. There was rarely a sporting event, competition, or rodeo that you wouldn’t find him at. He never focused on the materialistic aspects of life, and instead thrived on the beauty of this world and the experiences it provided.
Dan will be forever missed by his lovely wife, Angie McCanna of Nichols; his children: Brandan (Leah) McCanna of Weston, VT; Ashley Adolphson of Aledo, IL; Whitney (Charley) Martin of Orion, IL; and Dane McCanna of Rock Island, IL; his pride and joy, his grandchildren: Claire, Keatyn, Relynd, Paisley, Quinn, Easton, Henry, and Carson; and one sister, Lori (David) Shields of Matherville, IL. Dan was preceded in death by his parents.
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