Dan peacefully passed away around 2 am on December 5th. As most of you know he endured a long battle with health issues and was a warrior to the very end -- and we were in it together as always making the most of the time we had left.
Not only is he survived by me, Nancy, his wife, best friend, and soul-mate of 43 years ... but also an older brother, John, who was the U.S. Marine Sergeant of the family. Semper fi. Dan is also survived by his nephew, Eric, and great-nephew, Zack.
Those of you who knew Dan best will verify that he would not want this to be a time of mourning. So instead I have published this memorial site to give us all a place to reflect and remember the phenomenon that was Dan. He was truly a one-of-a-kind endearing individual with a big heart -- with his own brand of humor, charm, drama, antics, philosophies, and stories that left us either laughing or screaming or both. I already miss him like crazy!
I'll be the first to write a tribute ... and look forward to reading and sharing in your memories. You can add your own tribute below and/or go to the STORIES tab to share additional memories (which also will let you upload one photo of your own).
Love, Nancy
Tributes
Leave a tributeI will write a more detailed update in a few days. Love forever, Nancy
It was the official launching of our many years together filled with lots of love and laughter ... and sometimes crazy adventures. At times we were like the ‘dynamic duo’ battling against the cruelty of the world — really been missing my partner during these challenging times.
But I know in my heart that 2020 would have been painful for you to experience - the pandemic and it’s associated isolation, the racial injustice, and the unhinged politics. I can find comfort in knowing that at least you did not have to endure any of this.
The bright side has been that I was able to get so much done around our place. These projects kept me very busy - and was truly my therapy! I completed building an outdoor kennel for the dogs - even installed a doggie door in the back door so they can come in/out as they please. I also finally completed organizing your workshop — all your tools and supplies - with everything accessible and labeled .... even hung a few of our J. Daniel Marine calendars! This really helped me with all the remaining projects I completed this year.
I want you to know that I still miss you like crazy - the dogs do too - and that I can still feel your presence from time to time.
Love, Nancy
Love forever, Nancy
Dan was a good example of someone who survived the educational system and made good. You had a wonderful ride together. I know you must miss him something awful every day. He had a strong spirit and I don't doubt you feel him. He was one of a kind, an original and as long as people remember him he will not be forgotten.
Thank you and God bless
Glenis.
But you've given me so many special memories -- enough for 3 lifetimes -- that are helping to carry me through. I am writing a more detailed tribute which is posted under the 'STORY' section ... to be continued ...
"I am so sorry to hear about Dan's passing. Tricia and I have become friends and we work together on a board of directors ... all because of you and Dan. When her husband died Dan told me I needed to offer her support which I did and of course it has come back 100 fold.
We often talk about you and Dan and know that he is here in spirit only. I want you to know that if there is anything I might be able to do to help you, please let me know. Dan was such a big presence that he has left behind a big wake and will not be forgotten by anyone who knew him.
Warm regards,
[Executive Director American Boat Builders & Repairers Assoc.]
Every time I see something about Kona you and Nancy come to mind.
I have always admired you and Dan as a couple who really had it "together". And you break the mold. There is not anything you cannot do! My very biggest hugs flying in your direction.
Tricia
Wow was so shocked and sadden to hear about Dan passing. I was a yacht broker at Summerfields and was always happy when you guys pulled in. You even delievered my boat from Texas. You were a one of a kind team you him and the puppy. He was always so proud of you. If you never need help please let me know. I am there for you always.
Pepper and Chloe Rodda
What a beautiful tribute you have written! You guys were always a bright spot when you showed up in Lighthouse Point to pick up or launch a boat.
After we closed... I would always recommend you guys as the most careful conscientious transporters in the business........bar none.
On the personal side I enjoyed the conversations about “the real stuff” once the job was complete.
Dan will be missed for sure!
I’m glad you two shared this magnificent Journey together!
God Bless you Nancy!
May you find Peace in Him!
Dennis
I’ll always remember how quickly his charm and intelligence sucked me in. I loved working with Dan and Nan because I knew I was selling their service as the best in the business. I will always cherish our long discussions and his complete acceptance of our differences. A true gentleman and a gentle man. Hopefully we will meet again....
This guy is going to be missed.
In this family, he was loved.
He had a gift of appreciating the "moveable feast" of life.
A rare one, a good one.
Friendly and outgoing:
Dan was a people-person. He would approach complete strangers in parking lots and start a conversation that sometimes would last over an hour. My most notable recollection came while we were eating in a restaurant and he engaged the next table in a dialogue -- and before we knew it he had practically the entire restaurant in a discussion exchanging ideas and thoughts! Try this the next time you go to a Denny's.
Great Communicator:
Dan loved to talk as well as to listen -- he thrived on the exercise of exchanging ideas. He always kept in touch with his friends and family -- calling everyone from time to time just to reach out and chat. Whenever we could arrange it during our travels he would MAKE the time to stop and visit for holidays, special events, or just a few hours of face time.
Generous:
Dan was that guy who would stop the car at the street corner and give the sign-holder money. If he was approached in a parking lot he would hand over the extra money in his pocket or any left-over food we had handy. We spent many hours at the Western Union shipping $$ to family members in need -- even during our lean times when we would have to sell something to come up with the cash.
Compassionate:
He was also generous with his time. I heard him spend hours on the phone listening, consoling, offering helpful advice to people in need -- friends, family, and even business competitors too! He genuinely wanted to help others via his own life experiences. His heart was always in the right place -- which brings me to the next topic.
BIG HEART:
As tough as he may have seemed on the outside, Dan basically was a 'heart on 2 legs'. He was very sensitive to other's feelings and quite intuitive. He also loved sharing his happiness. I remember our 2003 month-long fishing trip in Hawaii that he negotiated in exchange for his transport services. After we arrived and assessed that the condo we were offered would comfortably accommodate more people he immediately invited his 2 fishing buddies from Florida to share in the experience.
Passionate:
Dan loved life -- and lived it with a vengeance! He did the things he wanted to do and usually in dramatic fashion. During his school years he was a true 'motor-head' spending most of his classroom time redesigning engines so he could win his next street racing challenge. His yearbook was filled with so many messages of thanks for the rides he gave them to school in his cool car! Then later in life when he determined that fishing was to be his hobby ... it was on! Not only did he pursue many deep-sea fishing adventures via friends and/or charters but we must have travelled to several dozen rivers across the country so he could master his fly-fishing techniques.
Spontaneous & flair for adventure:
You are all familiar with our gypsy lifestyle ... but what you may not know is that this started back when we were dating. While living in New Jersey at the time Dan suggested that we take a drive up to Canada for dinner that night -- next thing you know we were eating Coq Au Vin in Montreal surrounded by everyone speaking French - Ooh la la! Then soon after we were first married Dan suggested that we 'pack-it-up', leave the east coast, and travel the country to search for a better place to plant our roots. We then embarked on our first cross-country journey all the way to California -- with all our worldly possessions packed in a van towing his classic 68 convertible Camaro. What an adventure we had!
Mischievous:
Dan always had a talent to keep life interesting and loved to make people laugh. HE TOLD MANY STORIES about when he was a youth attending Catholic school and the trouble he would get into with the nuns. The funniest was the time he got hold of a clicker and used it during a practice church session. When the nuns would press their own clicker ONCE for everyone to kneel and TWICE for everyone to stand -- Dan would interrupt with his own clicks and got the whole church in a tizzy! Too bad for Dan that the nuns didn't have a similar sense of humor when his clicker was discovered.
Business-savvy:
The qualities I've discussed so far are what led me to falling in love with Dan. But his instinctive ability to succeed in business impressed me the most. He started with the basics -- first and foremost do a good job. He was insistent on quality. From marketing to promotional ideas his techniques were always on target -- as was his focus on closing a deal -- the best success is when everybody wins. He also had an innate ability to read people -- especially to cut through the b.s. and see into a person's true soul.
Integrity:
Dan always believed in doing the right thing. This was part of his DNA code. I recall one time a potential client contacted us with a good job explaining he was looking for the husband-and-wife team he had been consulting with but had lost the phone number -- and hoping it was us. I knew it didn't sound familiar but double-checked my notes just in case. When I presented this to Dan he determined that this client for looking for our friends (the other husband-and-wife team) who were also our competitors. Dan could have easily taken the job but instead swiftly bowed out of the deal and reconnected all parties.
Craftsmanship:
Dan was a hands-on guy. As early as I can remember he was using his welding skills to manufacture a utility trailer or build wood-burning stoves ... to the most recent years when he would customize rigging for boats or build a boat hauling rig. At one point he even took an old Peterbilt from a wrecking yard and rebuilt it with parts to produce an awesome over-the-road truck which we used for many years.
Finally I want to share my memories of Dan's honesty ... the ability to speak-his-mind or tell-it-like-it-is. He did not come equipped with a filter but he tried his best to be diplomatic.
We used to enjoy watching movies together and then pick out our favorite lines to use for future reference. For example while we were dating he took me to see JAWS in the theater -- after which we agreed that our favorite line was "we're gonna need a bigger boat" -- and we used this line jokingly for certain situations in the years to come.
In the later years we watched the movie JERRY MAGUIRE and discussed the line "you complete me". This was so profound. While I was the rock in Dan's life that gave him a grounding force ... he was the rock in my life that gave me strength to soar beyond my wildest dreams! We completed each other.
Although he agreed Dan said his favorite line was "show me the money"... so we went with both ...
and that's why I'll miss him and love him forever.
Thank you for any amazing life!
See you on the other side my love.
Nancy
Leave a Tribute
I will write a more detailed update in a few days. Love forever, Nancy
12/05/2019 - The First Year Update
I just keep putting one foot in front of the other with good days and bad days — just keep moving forward trying to stay positive. It has truly tested my faith believing that you are in a better place where we will all be together once again. I must confess that often I sense your spirit and guidance — particularly while I worked on completing some of the projects we had to put ‘on hold’. These tasks were my greatest therapy of all!
Yes, I finally finished building the porch. I used your tools, materials, and techniques you taught me as your self-proclaimed title of ‘Wood Butcher’ — and I believe I lived up to it too! Often I had to pull from the Dan Gooding playbook of shortcuts and fix-it’s ... and for whatever I didn’t remember I consulted with YouTube! But for that awkward area that you tried to resolve — I got your message from beyond (because I know in my soul that this idea did not originate with me). I built a sliding gate! I think you would be happy with the tesults.. and the dogs are loving the enclosed section.
The next project was to set-up a backup generator. Turns out that we’ve been experiencing a lot of scheduled power outages here in California due to the high winds (fire prevention). So I remember what you taught me about the generators (setup and maintenance) and was able to position one of them in a good spot and get it working to help me through. In case you didn’t hear me every time I fired it up ... THANK YOU DAN!!!
Other than dozens of misc small projects and maintenance around the property the final big project we had put on holdwas ...
Organizing the two cargo trailers. This took a bigger effort than anticipated mainly because of the weather factors of high winds, cold weather and recently... snow. In order to do this job right I had to completely empty both units and then reload in an organized fashion. I reorganized one of them as a workshop and dedicated the other to storage. I just completed all this the day before the snow arrived and now I am recuperating!
And even better news ... I was able to locate many possible sources of old photos and videos. As I get time over the winter months I can begin sorting through these and add more posts to your site — because I have so many recollections of pics that I am hoping to find.
Finally ... creating, maintaining and visiting this site has also been my therapy. It seems that most of your family and friends preferred to contact me directly either by phone, text, or email - and continue to check in with me from time to time. I thank them as well as those who have contributed directly here on your memorial ... you all have helped me through this tough time.
Dan —
Thank you for giving me such a wonderful life to remember!
Thank you for giving me the knowledge to be self-sufficient!
Thank you for giving me Anchor & Bernie who give me great companionship and comfort every day!
You are always with me.
Love, Nancy
Ride Along with Dan ...
When Dan purchased a GoPro camera he began taking videos from the road -- here is a sample -- so sit back, relax, and 'ride along with Dan' ...
I have posted this in response to many of you who miss hearing his voice.
The Sprinkler Project
When we retired from the road Dan volunteered his labor to repair and redesign his friend's sprinkler system.
This project turned out to be very challenging— to fix an already existing installation that was no longer operational. But Dan was persistent and methodically located all the buried piping and sprinkler heads — replacing what was practical and adding new where needed.
He even designed and welded the tool he is holding in the video to make it easier for his friend to make adjustments— and then sent him short videos for instruction. This is a sample.