Dan Mohney

Dan Mohney was a man dedicated to his family and friends, especially his daughters. He spent his life balancing hard work with being a loving father, husband and friend, succeeding in all he did.

1953 was an historic year for many reasons. In April of that year, Mickey Mantle hit a 565-foot home run – believed to be the longest in baseball history. In June of 1953, the first Chevy Corvette rolled off the assembly line. These events were the perfect backdrop for another important event that took place in August of that year. Willard and Betty (Kiewiet) Mohney lived on a big farm in Vicksburg, Michigan, a few miles south of Kalamazoo. Already the parents of eight children, Willard and Betty were anxiously awaiting the birth of child number nine. Dan was born on August 21, 1953 in Vicksburg. However, there were complications and Betty was rushed to a hospital in Kalamazoo, where twin brother Dennis was born. It truly was a special event because Willard and Betty had no idea they were having twins!

Dan’s dad worked the farm and sometimes other peoples’ farms besides working at Simpson Paper to provide for his growing family, while Betty had her hands full caring for their many children. All of the kids helped out on the farm. They didn’t always like it but it instilled in all of them, especially Dan, a strong work ethic and sense of family.

Dan attended Vicksburg schools where he played football and baseball. He was a very physical player and enjoyed both sports. As a young man, he developed a love for fast cars – in fact any vehicle that could generate speed. This included muscle cars, snowmobiles and motorcycles. It only made sense that his first car was a 1966 Road Runner.

During this time Dan was married and became the father of three beautiful little girls-Tammy, Heather, and Tricia. When his daughter Heather was born, Dan sold his Road Runner for something a little more fitting for a new father. However, he did have a Camaro when his girls were little. Unfortunately, the marriage failed and Dan and his wife divorced.

Now a single dad of three, Dan worked very hard to support and care for his girls. Like his father, Dan worked at Simpson Paper for 20 years and then at Vista Printer Forms in Oshtemo for another 17 years. From there he worked for Imperial Graphics in Grand Rapids for another 10 years.

It was during this time that Dan met Diane Armstrong. During an ice storm one winter, a friend called Dan asking for his help – clearing and hauling away fallen tree limbs from Diane’s driveway. A friendship between Dan and Diane soon developed and they started dating. Finding his soul mate after all these years, Dan and Diane were married on October 5, 2002 at the Portage, Michigan United Methodist Church. They took a short trip to Canada for their honeymoon.

Diane had three sons – Jeff, Rick and Paul, and their two families soon blended into one, with Dan being the glue that held everything together. Dan and Diane loved doing everything together from yard work, to going to movies to cooking. They especially loved to dance to music of the 60’s. The one thing they didn’t share was their jobs. Diane was an RN and she worked in Neurology.

Dan was considered a “guy’s guy”. He loved to tinker and could fix just about anything and knew something about everything. Besides his love of fast cars, his real passion was charter salmon fishing on Lake Michigan. A good fishing trip was talked about for months after. While a single dad, Dan tried to include his girls in whatever he did. He took them hunting and fishing and never missed an event that they were in. He would make sure they had a warm breakfast and even did their hair to get them ready for school. Besides being their father, Dan was also their best friend and they often confided in him.

When both families were all together, they were often called “The Brady Bunch”. With guidance from Dan and Diane, all six kids got along.

But the love of his life was Diane. He treated her like a queen, always the perfect gentleman. From opening doors to holding her hand, he always tried to teach his kids how to treat others, not just their mother but all women and even strangers. He was the ultimate family man, giving, loving, caring and selfless. His arms were open to all and he truly would have given the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it.

He and Diane were like two peas in a pod, both very giving and sometimes stubborn. Dan especially loved the holidays when all the family got together. Still a kid at heart, he would play with the grandkids and liked getting twin pictures with his twin grandsons, reminding him of days spent with his twin, Dennis. Holidays usually meant lots of food and having been brought up on a farm, Dan was a meat and potatoes eater, but he also had a BIG sweet tooth. This included almost anything sweet, but he had a special love of cookies, even eating the burnt ones his daughter Heather had made.

Besides hunting, fishing and fast cars, Dan loved music. Anything by the Beach Boys, who were just getting started when Dan was a little boy, to his brother’s band “Silver Moon”. “Silver Moon” was an oldies cover band and Dan loved to listen to their music. If he was watching TV it was usually the Detroit Tigers, the Detroit Lions, anything sports related, or old westerns.

Dan had been recently working for Dyson and in January he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He went on disability but the cancer soon spread to his brain. He and Diane had been living in Loganville, Georgia for the last six years and were just in the process of moving back to Michigan to be close to family. Still in the process of unpacking, Dan died very suddenly on June 28, 2016.

A patient, loving and complete gentleman, Dan was always thinking of others. He loved his family and was not shy about showing his affection. He was the glue that held his family together and the giant beam of light that guided them all through each day. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.

Dan Mohney was preceded in death by his parents; grandson Taylor David and brother Johnny Bill Mohney. Surviving are his wife of 14 years, Diane Mohney; 6 children: Jeff (Laura) Armstrong, Tammy (Tony) Hoehn, Rick (Lori) Armstrong, Paul (Tricia) Armstrong, Heather (Scott) Stock and Tricia(Ted) Buller; 13 grandchildren: Luke, Marlo, Ava, Shelby, Colby, Kraig, Brody, Olivia, Jax, Sawyer, Lily, Liam and Landon; 9 siblings; Joe (Mary Ann) Mohney, Pat (Stan) Makowski, Larry (Phylis) Mohney, Mary (Jerry) Soule, Ellen (Charlie) Bates, Bill (Linda) Mohney, Brenda (Clyde) Wayne, Dennis (Connie) Mohney and Mark (Janie) Mohney and several nieces and nephews. Visit with family and friends on Friday from 5 – 8pm at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler-Kalamazoo, 6080 Stadium Drive, Kalamazoo, 375-2900 where services will be held Saturday at 11 am. A luncheon will follow in the Life Story Center. Please visit Dan’s personal memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can read his life story, archive a favorite memory or photo and sign his guestbook before coming to the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.