Dan Strung

Dan Strung will be remembered most for his big smile and easy-going friendliness; for his sharp sense of humor, and love for life. He was first and foremost a people person, who seemed as much at ease with the adults in his world as with his many close friends. Dan forged his own path, following his passions, living much of life in the moment. Those closest with Dan also saw a person who was intelligent, curious, sensitive and caring. He thought deeply about the meaning of life and had a strong social conscience well beyond his years.

Dan's eagerness for life was apparent when he arrived three days ahead of schedule on March 13, 1986. He timed his entry to coincide with move-in day to their new home on a quiet cul-de-sac in Portage, Michigan. He was born at Bronson Methodist Hospital to his proud parents, Robert and Gayle (Gervason) Strung. Dan was the youngest of three; older brother Eric preceded him by six years, and Melissa by two. Upon his arrival, his mother recalled commenting that he was born with a perfect haircut.

As the neighborhood grew and young families moved in, the once quiet Wadsworth Lane became a flurry of activity with many summer hours spent playing tag, "ghosts in the graveyard", and waging giant squirt gun battles at the backyard play fort. As the years passed, the boys would become intensely involved in Star Wars and Pokemon cards; radio-controlled car races, and paint ball to name a few. Backyard kickball, soccer and baseball transitioned into AYSO Soccer, Rocket Football, and West Portage Little League. Some of Dan's earliest childhood buddies, such as A.J and Jordan Miller, Chad Dillon, and Andy Berner, would remain lifelong friends.

As much as Dan loved playing with his friends, he was perfectly content to spend time alone. His parents frequently worried when it got too quiet because that usually meant some kind of surprise! Opening the refrigerator, freezer or closet usually resulted in the discovery of some kind of "speriment." Household chemicals were stored high on shelves and behind safety locked doors in an effort to keep the budding chemist from blowing up the house! During his rock collecting phase, his parents frequently found a portion of his precious rocks tucked in bed alongside for safekeeping. He loved building things, spending countless hours with his LEGOs or attempting to fashion some critter trap in the backyard. One Christmas, at a time when he was questioning the validity of Santa Claus, he constructed a wall of wooden blocks in front of the fireplace, so an unsuspecting Santa Claus would knock them over and arouse him from sleep. The next morning, he discovered that not only had the blocks been toppled, but a chunk of cotton from Santa's suit had become lodged in the fireplace door, so his belief was reaffirmed.

His enrollment in Nature's Way Preschool provided a perfect fit for his inquisitiveness and nourished Dan's love for plants and animals. His formal schooling began at Amberly Elementary where he attended kindergarten through second grade before transferring to Moorsbridge Elementary in its inaugural year. From there he went to Portage West Middle School. Dan's teachers consistently spoke fondly of Dan, describing him as having a sparkle in his eye with a hint of mischief. They said he was very smart, but he didn't feel the need to prove it. However, they also wisely advised Bob and Gayle to not push him too much as they were confident that he would find his way and do well in the end. He was consistently described as a "joy" to have in class as he was fun-loving and made very thoughtful and somewhat unique contributions to classroom discussions. Dan took up the baritone in middle school, but enjoyed playing football better. With the urging of a favorite teacher, Mr. Roach, he tried his hand at track and field for one year.

Dan had difficulties doing mundane things like closing drawers, turning lights off, and putting anything away. He was always more eager to get on to the next fun activity. On the way home from a Chinese restaurant, he discovered that he left his expensive retainer on the table and the family hurried back to the restaurant. Although the table had been cleared, the staff kindly dug through the garbage and to Dan's relief, found it.

Dan loved animals so much he repetitively asked for a dog. While helping Bob build a backyard ornamental fish pond, Dan and Eric would make trips to a nearby rock quarry to hand pick the rocks. Often, they were met by a very friendly black dog who Dan struck up an immediate friendship with. They learned that the dog had been abandoned there and needed a good home. With Gayle out of town, Dad caved into Dan's pleas and "Rocki" joined the Strung family.

During the summer before high school, Dan was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes. Although he was far from ideal in terms of watching his diet and taking his counts, he accepted the illness as his fate and never complained about the frequent needle sticks. Among his friends, he took on the nickname "Diabetic Dan". Dan was not one to let his diabetes ruin all his fun, nor was he one to turn down a good challenge. When a classmate told him that a person couldn't eat the McDonald's 50 piece Chicken McNugget Value Meal which included two fries and two drinks, Dan took it on and in front of a very large group of doubting friends over the lunch hour, accomplished the feat without a trip to the hospital. The school newspaper recorded the event, as "Local hero defies all odds" and had a picture of his head on a Superman body.

The lunch hour was also time to engage in entertainment as a break from academics. He was known to drive the three or so miles from school to home where he would grab a quick bite to eat and play a video game with friends and then return to school before the allotted 27 minutes was up. More commonly though, he lunched at places like Taco Bell, and McDonald's. Although Dan scored well in standardized tests, he never was concerned about his grades and preferred to devote most of his energies to his friendships and hobbies. He loved listening to music which prompted him to get an electric guitar so he could emulate his favorite musicians. He played his baritone up through his freshman year, but then focused on football and tennis. His nickname "Warthog" was first coined to reflect his way of sniffing out the perfect seat for lunch but was later used to describe his line play on the football team, just like the heavily armored A-10 thunderbolt "Warthog" aircraft which cleared the battlefield of tanks and other armored vehicles. Dan and a few friends once dressed up for a junior varsity conference tennis tournament, where Dan wore an old Portage Northern band uniform with a plastic sword strapped to his waist. He so distracted the opponent that he won his match, as parents and a very cool tennis coach just smiled and shook their heads. Dan felt very fortunate to have played football for coach Bob Knight and earn his varsity letter in his senior year, before graduating from Portage Central High School in 2004.

Dan welcomed his Western Michigan University college experience as it freed him from parental scrutiny, especially about health issues. He initially protested his parents' insistence that he spend his first year in the dorm, but after he met some of his best friends at LeFevre Hall, he later made a very rare admission that Mom and Dad had been right. For his second year, he moved into an old house in the student ghetto on Potter St. where he lived in a postage-sized room, which for a while, had no electrical outlets - a major problem for a young man hooked on electronics. Dan had worked at University Bookstore beginning in high school and continued to work there throughout his college years, including the summer months. His favorite place for a meal was Schwarma King. For fun, which seemed to occupy more of his free time than studies, he worked out, rode his mountain bike, played goalie on a coed indoor soccer team, watched videos, and listened to music, with some of his favorite groups being 311 and Sevendust. Most of all though, he loved to play Texas Hold 'em poker, tailgate at WMU football games and just hang out with friends. Some of Dan's closest friends were Mark Gillette, "Ed the Welshman" Owen, Brian Chambers, Brian "B.D" Davis, Jamie Sirchiao, and Nate Costello. Dan and his sister Missy, who also attended WMU, grew much closer during his college years and came to consider each other great friends. Mom and Dad looked forward to occasional weekend visits with Dan and Missy for dinner or a round of golf.

In May 2006, after months of researching motorcycles, Dan purchased a bright yellow Ducati motorcycle. He took a safety course and rode responsibly. He spent many hours riding, often with his good friend, Mark Gillette, and he had immense pleasure riding his bike. Prior to the start of his third year, Dan organized a week-long golf trip northern Michigan to play some of golf's premier courses with some of his best friends, and had a thoroughly enjoyable experience. He moved to a fairly new apartment near campus which he shared with three good friends. He also switched his major from mechanical engineering, which hadn't seemed a good fit, to political science. When the fall semester started, Dan found that he loved his new courses. Everything seemed to be going well, and Dan seemed to be the happiest he had ever been. After someone backed into his motorcycle in a parking lot, it sustained some damage. Dan had just gotten the bike back from the repair shop and was out for his first ride when a car failed to heed a stop sign and struck Dan in the intersection. Dan will be deeply missed by the many family and friends who dearly loved him.

Daniel Louis Strung, age 20 of Portage died in a motorcycle accident September 15, 2006. Learn more about Dan, view his life story film and visit with his family and friends Thursday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Life Story Funeral Home, Rupert, Durham, Marshall, and Gren, Portage, 5975 Lovers Lane where a funeral service will be held on Friday at 11:00 a.m. Members of Dan's family include his parents, Bob & Gayle, his brother Eric Strung of Chicago, Melissa Strung of Portage, his paternal grandparents Daniel & Lillian Strung of Ohio, his maternal grandparents Louis & Lee Gervason of Florida, his aunts and uncles Richard Strung of Ohio, Craig & Donna Gervason of Florida, Marge & Gary Edwards of Ohio, Dan Gervason of Florida, Bruce Gervason of Texas, his cousins Laura & Ben Szymanski, Janelle Gervason, Ashley & Jack Vaughn, Jon Gervason, Chris Gervason, his faithful dog Rocki, and his many friends. Please visit Dan's memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you can read his life story, archive a favorite memory and photo, or sign the guest book. Memorial donations may be made to the American Diabetes Association.