Remembering Dan

from HERITAGE Magazine - Summer 2021

Saturday in the City

NEIGHBORHOOD STORIES Remembering Dan

He walked by at least once, if not two or three times, each week. He always stopped to chat, usually asking about our kids – how they were doing in school, sports, or the like – and was always keen to have a lengthy conversation.

It wasn’t until he had stopped to chat several times that we learned his name: Dan Campbell. It took a while before we learned his name because conversations were always about us, our kids, the work we’d done on our house—never about him, by his choosing. As our street-side chats continued over the years, we came to learn that Dan had an incredibly interesting history. He was originally from California. He had been a Sergeant in the Marines. He had previously owned several restaurants in Marin County and the Napa area. He was a truly interesting guy with stories that could relate to nearly any experience.

Years ticked by and Dan continued to stop by, either on foot or in his truck. Sometimes he was on his way to Truckee River Bar & Grill for dinner. Other times he was headed to visit friends somewhere in the neighborhood or in town. He watched our son and daughter matriculate through Jessie Beck, Swope and in the case of my daughter, on to Reno High. Each time he stopped to talk, he would inquire about something specific the kids had been doing, retaining nearly every detail of the previous conversations we’d had.

Then, early in 2020 we stopped seeing Dan walk by. By March we chalked it up to the pandemic. We didn’t know how old Dan was, but he was definitely in an age range that could make COVID-19 a concern. Not long after that though, we noticed a “For Sale” sign in front of Dan’s house, prompting some quick research on the internet. Come to find out, Dan had moved to Beaverton, Oregon in January 2020, likely to be closer to family. The saddest part of our research revealed that Dan had passed away on November 2, 2020 from complications of Primary Progressive Aphasia.

We miss our chats with Dan immensely. Sadly, his willingness to visit with his neighbors is something you don’t encounter all that often. So, my advice is this: take time to talk with your neighbors. Take an interest in what’s happening in their lives and they’ll do the same. Learn from their experiences and make yours better for doing so. As neighbors, we should all benefit from the closer personal relationships that have made this neighborhood one of the best places to live in Northern Nevada for generations.

Daniel Francis Campbell IV December 30, 1940 – November 2, 2020

As Seen in the Neighborhood

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