Danny J. Morten

Danny was born on April 14, 1945 in Ponca, Nebraska. He spent the first several years of his youth running around on the farm with his brothers and sister in Cedar County, Nebraska. Danny loved the freedom of the farm and had lots to do. He had  a strong, curious mind, and loved tearing things apart to discover how they worked, sometimes to the pain of his mom and dad. One time Danny souped up a bike by installing a small motor on a bicycle, and another time he powered up a BB gun with gunpowder and a match shoved down the barrel. Danny was sharp, so during testing of this prototype he stayed out of the way with a string attached to the trigger. Sadly, the BB gun did not survive and the project had to be terminated.

When Danny was twelve the family moved to South Sioux City, Nebraska. At first Danny didn’t love “big city” living, he missed the vastness of the prairie and the freedom of exploration he had there, but he was able to adapt to town life when he discovered pool halls. It may or not be true that he would occasionally go missing from school to shoot pool with his buddies. He also admitted once that he liked sidewalks because he could ride his bike forever, and he appreciated that his shoes weren’t always covered in dirt or mud.

Eventually Danny married his high school sweetheart, Joy Marie, and he went to college where he earned a degree in business administration. He became an accountant and eventually a health care administrator in nursing homes and hospitals. He was also a commercial and residential painter in Dallas, Texas. No, seriously, he did that too. Danny and Joy had four children, Todd, Jeffrey, Gina Marie, and one daughter, Darci Marie, who passed shortly after she was born.

Danny thrived in business, and after leaving health care and painting he owned and operated two mobile home parks in Texas where he continued to tinker with all his machines and collect rents from residents who adored him. He often had a grandchild next to him helping with the mowing and other projects on the properties. In the early 2000/s Danny bought an acreage in Thayer County, Nebraska and turned it into a family homestead. The truth is that Danny’s appreciation for sidewalks and clean shoes was never enough to make him forget the joys of country living.  He loved tractors and at various times he owned horses, hogs, and chickens. He also loved the rodeo and fishing from a pontoon boat on big Texas lakes. Eventually he was able to own lots of guns that did not require firecrackers and matches, and he even made his own shotgun shells and rifle cartridges. Danny also loved football and was a huge Nebraska Husker and Dallas Cowboys fan. Jeff remembers Danny calling him on Saturdays and Sundays to find out what channel the games were on, and they often conducted important post-game reviews together.

Danny loved to read and he instilled that love in his children. Gina recalls him building her a bedside lamp out of parts from an old lawnmower engine so they could read together as she fell asleep at bedtime. He favored magazines about farm life, science books, and math. Regarding the latter, Danny patiently tutored all of his kids when they needed help. Danny taught both of his boys painting skills which they both use to this day.

In his last years Danny lived in Wilber, Nebraska and had lots of neighbors who eventually became friends. One neighbor tells of giving him haircuts on his porch and sipping whisky with him while he told stories of his full, long life. He loved all of his family and he spoke of them every day.

Danny was preceded in death by his father Ralph, his mother Irene, his sister Kay, and Darci Marie, his daughter. He is survived by Todd and his wife Kelly, Jeffrey and his wife Susie, and Gina and her loving partner Sean, and his ex-wife, Joy, with whom he remained in contact until his death. In addition to his three children, Danny also leaves behind his grandchildren, Adam Morten and his wife Thais, Emily Wegner and her husband Sam, Rowen Morten and his wife Cosette, Ella Morten, Joseph Maxon, Mellow Maxon, Dylan Maxon, Keaton Morten, Ransom Morten, Sunny Morten, Stella Morten, Lily Morten, Chandler Morten and his wife Amity, and Darci Marie and her loving partner Drew. His great-grandchildren include Hunter, Alivia, Liam, Kai, Lucy, and Aria Marie. Danny also leaves behind his siblings, big brother David Morten, and two younger brothers Larry Morten and Rod Morten.

Thanks for everything, Dad, we are all going to miss you.

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