This remembrance of Daniel Volk comes from his family and is a genuine, heartfelt reflection of our lives with him. When asked about his final wishes upon his death; Dan, in his love for offbeat humor and often in opposition to society’s practices, would jokingly say: “Don’t do anything”.

To respect his wishes, our family will honor and celebrate Dan’s life at a private ceremony of remembrance. Dan died unexpectedly and peacefully at home on October 9, 2021.

Dan had strong feelings about many things. His life partner, Michele Conners, describes him as a complex man. People knew how Dan felt about most matters because he was unafraid to stand up for what he believed.

Dan had strong convictions about those he loved and the things for which he cared deeply. The truest lights of his life were his life partner, Michele Conners, and his granddaughter, Kate Volk.
Michele was the yin to Dan’s passionate yang. Her quiet wisdom, strength, and measured approach complemented his sometimes excitable and quick responses to life. Before responding, Dan would chide Michele and say “You’ve gotta have to have a plan!” Theirs was a relationship of balance and interconnection.

Kate Volk, his granddaughter, now a tween, was “the coolest person ever” according to Dan. Both shared a sense of curiosity, quirky humor, and a dose of good geekiness.

With his sons, David and Josh, Daniel shared a love for the outdoors. When they were children, Dan served as their scout leader. He loved camping with them.

Dan was preceded in death by his parents, Leo and Phyllis; and brother David. Dan is survived by long term partner, Michele Conners; sons, David (Sarah), and Joshua; granddaughter Katherine “Kate”; sisters, Darleen (Clarence) Woodman, Carol (Bob) Bohl, Cynthia (Daniel) Deck and Connie (Steven)
Reisner; nieces; nephews, and other family and friends.

In addition to his love for family, Dan was also passionate about politics. He considered his views on stringent gun control laws, protecting pro-choice, making insurance available to all and his other strong-held Democrat party convictions to be on the side of good morality. He was unafraid to defend what he felt was right for humanity and our country.

Dan found humor in our often absurd world. At times his humor could be a bit dark, but he cared about making people think. As a Monty Python lover, Dan enjoyed quoting scenes from their movies. To describe his family he would probably urge us to write:

“His mother was a hamster and his father smelled of elderberries.”

Thank you Danny for your love and your laughter. You will be forever missed.