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Worrell "Wally" Danielson

September 25, 1928 - September 3, 2014
Grand Rapids, MI

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Visitation

Sunday, September 21, 2014
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM EDT
Covenant Village of the Great Lakes Chapel
2510 Lake Michigan Dr. NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Map
Web Site

Service

Sunday, September 21, 2014
4:00 PM EDT
Covenant Village of the Great Lakes Chapel
2510 Lake Michigan Dr. NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Map

Contributions


At the family's request memorial contributions are to be made to those listed below. Please forward payment directly to the memorial of your choice.

Covenant Village Benevolent Fund
2510 Lake Michigan Dr. NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Web Site

Hospice of Holland
270 Hoover Blvd
Holland, MI 49423
(616) 396-2972
Driving Directions
Web Site

Life Story / Obituary


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A man of wisdom and abundant faith, Worrell “Wally” Danielson gave his all in everything he did with an unwavering and heartfelt demeanor. He was a man with a hopeful and optimistic outlook on life, who cared for everyone he knew; he had a deep store of generosity and love, from which he drew upon unsparingly to help his family, friends, and anyone in need. There was no one who met Wally that wasn’t changed for the better as he freely offered unconditional love and respect, and sang God’s praises. With the love of his life by his side for nearly 62 years, Wally witnessed his family tree blossom to include three children, five grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren, who put the song in his heart. His presence in the world will be greatly missed, but the memories he created with his family and friends will be remembered always.

1928 represented a brief period of peace and prosperity for the United States. For Melvin Enoch Danielson, a milk delivery man and small business entrepreneur, and his wife, Agnes Dorothy (Carlson), a homemaker and clerk, it was a time of great joy as they welcomed the birth of their son, Worrell Melvin Danielson, on September 25, 1928, in Muskegon, Michigan. Wally, as he was called, was an only child, but had lots of cousins to play with nearby. He also enjoyed fishing with his Dad when they were on vacation at Silver Lake. The family moved to Chicago when Wally was about 10 years old, as his Dad sought better employment.

Wally quickly made lifelong friends in Chicago, helping fill in some of the absences created by moving away from family. Wally was a good student in school, and after graduating from Tilden Technical High School in 1946, he went on to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Although his schooling took up much of his time, a certain young lady was never far from his thoughts - her name was Betty Kathryn Johnson. Wally met Betty in church youth group, but they didn’t date until he was in college. The two fell in love and were married on April 11, 1953, in the Redeemer Covenant Church in Chicago surrounded by their families. After saying “I do,” the newlyweds took a train to Denver, Colorado to spend their honeymoon. They then settled into married life together in an apartment on 75th and Green Streets, and soon welcomed their first child, Keith (1955). They bought their first home on Talman Avenue in the Evergreen Park area of Chicago, and continued to fill their home with the joy and laughter of children: Sandra (1956) and Elizabeth (1960).

Time together as a family was very important to Wally and Betty, and they created many unforgettable memories on their adventurous vacations in a travel trailer borrowed from Wally’s parents. The family traveled to New England and Washington, D.C. along the east coast, Estes Park out west in Colorado, to a resort in Wisconsin (many times), and to Montreal, Quebec, to attend Expo ‘67. Wally cared deeply for his family and provided faithfully for them while sharing much love and laughter.

Over the life of his career as an engineer, Wally worked for various companies, including Chicago Burlington Railroad, Union Tank Car Company, W.H. Miner, Fruehauf Corporation, Smith, Hinchman & Grylls, and, after earning his professional engineering license, St. John’s Hospital, where he worked for 20 years before retiring. With the changes to Wally’s career also came some moves for the family. They left Chicago for Clawson (near Detroit) in 1968, and then to Troy, in 1979. As retirement neared, Wally enlarged the family cottage in Pentwater, MI, to a year-round home. Upon retirement in 1993, Wally and Betty moved to Pentwater, where they enjoyed retirement life until 2006 and then moved to Covenant Village of the Great Lakes in Grand Rapids.

Church was also a very important part of their lives, and with each move to a new city, Wally and Betty found a new church family, joining Evangelical Covenant churches in Chicago, IL, Farmington Hills, MI, Grand Rapids, MI, and Centenary United Methodist Church in Pentwater, MI. Wally loved to sing and what better way to praise the Lord than to be in the church choir. No matter where his church home was, Wally found a place in the choir. He was sure to instill music in his children’s lives too, and they all went on to play a different instrument. It was beautiful when Wally and Betty sang a duet together too, filling the house with music.

Wally’s life was distinguished by his faithful walk with Christ, demonstrated by his care and service to others, and in his church and community. In his younger years, he served as Superintendent of Sunday School and sang in the church choir all his life. In retirement, Wally volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, as well as with the Oceana Council on Aging and was a tutor at Pentwater High School. He was also involved in the 29er’s from Centenary and traveled around the country to participate in work projects.

When he and Betty became residents at Covenant Village, Wally looked for ways he could help others and started repairing wheelchairs and walkers. A real “jack-of-all-trades,” Wally could fix just about anything, and his engineering skills often came in handy, like when he rebuilt the structural supports in his daughter Sandy’s house. When he wasn’t being someone’s quiet hero, Wally had a few hobbies he enjoyed, like photography, woodworking and wood chip carving (making figurines). In his quiet moments, he enjoyed reading Tom Clancy and Tony Hillerman books as well as suspense and mystery novels.

Although Wally had back problems and arthritis for many years, he never let it hold him back. Sadly in early August, Wally was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and his health rapidly diminished. His final days on earth were spent with his family and friends gathered around him, singing hymns and reading scripture, with harp accompaniment provided by his daughter, Sandi. On his last morning, a dear family friend, Laurie Palmer, came to sit with him and read Psalm 23 and sing, “Children of the Heavenly Father.” Shortly after, Wally peacefully went to be with his Lord and Savior.

Worrell “Wally” M. Danielson, age 85, went home to his Lord and Savior on Wednesday, September 3, 2014. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Betty (Johnson) Danielson; his three children, Keith Danielson of Sterling Heights, MI, Sandra (David)Kersten of Chicago, IL, Elizabeth (Stephen) Russell of Chattanooga, TN; five grandchildren, Andrea (Ryan) Healy, Peter (Dana) Kersten, Genevieve Kersten, Kara Rice, Erin Rice; great-grandchildren, Linnea and Callan Healy.

Cremation has taken place. A service to celebrate Wally’s life will be held on Sunday, September 21, 2014, at 4:00 p.m. at Covenant Village of the Great Lakes Chapel, 2510 Lake Michigan Dr. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504. Friends and relatives may meet with his family from 3-4 p.m. prior to the service at the same location. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Covenant Village Benevolent Fund or to Hospice of Holland. To read more about Wally’s life, to sign his guest book and to leave your own memory of him, please visit www.lifestorynet.com.

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