Daniel Stephen Glynn

Daniel Stephen Glynn

November 7, 1949 – March 16, 2023

Daniel Glynn, 73, of Jacksonville, FL passed away peacefully on March 16, 2023 with his daughters by his side. Formerly of Blaine, MN, Dan happily spent the last two years living in the Florida sunshine near his daughters and their families. A private celebration of life with be held in his honor in St. Augustine, FL on April 1^st, 2023.

Dan was born in Janesville, WI to his parents Kenneth & Ruth Glynn on November 7, 1949. He spent most of his childhood in Janesville, was the second of four children and enjoyed fond memories of growing up with his older sister, Claudia, and younger siblings Patrick and Mary. He loved sharing stories of big family gatherings with his many cousins, living next door to his grandparents and helping tend their yard and fruit orchard, and playing in little league – where his passion for baseball started. He loved his Chicago Cubs – and cheering on his boyhood idol Ernie Banks.

In high school, his family moved to Winona, MN and eventually to Fridley, MN where he graduated from Fridley High School in 1968 and went on to receive his Associate’s degree from the University of Minnesota.

Dan settled in the Minneapolis area and worked for Target Corporation for 37 years, retiring in in 2012. He raised two daughters, Kelly & Shannon, and was an active and supportive dad. He loved spending time as a family doing activities such as ice skating, hitting golf balls at the driving range, traveling and taking road trips, parking on Airport Road - sitting on the hood of the car watching planes come in and out of the runways at MSP airport, visiting parks, playing catch, staying up late watching favorite TV shows, and making big Sunday breakfasts. He was an avid sports fan attending and taking his girls to countless Gopher baseball games at Siebert Field, Gopher football and basketball games, and MN Twins games. He always said his proudest achievement in life was being a dad – and he was great at it.

A man of faith, Dan was also a devoted son and brother. He was a hardworking man of strong integrity and a loyal friend, with a group of close friendships that he maintained for decades. Anyone who met him would say, “Dan is the nicest guy!”. He enjoyed life’s simple pleasures and led a humble but fulfilling life. He loved golf and spent countless hours on the course, golfing at least once a week at his course of choice, Bunker Hills, when the MN weather was nice. He loved to get in the car and take a drive – and famously knew the back roads to any location around town. Or as he called it – “taking the scenic route”. He loved pulling out a good map or a road atlas and mapping out a route to his destination. He was passionate about music – and sure loved his classic oldies.

Dan loved family gatherings. He had a gift for the gab and never met a stranger.  He was an amazing conversationalist who was genuinely interested in other people and their life stories. He was a captivating storyteller and remembered everything so vividly. We will dearly miss his stories and the laughs we had as he told them.

He was also an avid reader, researcher and maintained a razor sharp mind until his last days.  He loved the freedom and tranquility of retirement, and relocated to Jacksonville, FL in January 2021 to live in a senior community near his daughters as he navigated several health issues.  Dan was blessed to meet his love and companion, Sally, in the same community.  Together, they made many wonderful memories of family gatherings, watching his grandchildren play sports, listening to music, and enjoying the warm, sunny weather.  He frequently said how grateful he was to meet Sally later in life and spend the past 2 years as companions.

Dan is survived by his two grateful daughters and their families - Kelly Wickham (Daniel) and children Everly (7) and Jack (5); Shannon Harrington (Nathan) and their children Abigail (9) and Olivia (5). He is also survived by siblings Claudia Garber (Mike) of Fontana, WI; Pat Glynn of Minneapolis, MN; Mary (Don) Lee of Minneapolis, MN; companion and sweetheart, Sally Chapin of Jacksonville, FL; many nieces, other loving family and life-long friends.  He is preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth & Ruth Glynn.

Dear Dad – We sure do love and miss you and know we will see you again. From the bottom of our hearts… thank you, thank you – for everything. Love, Kel and Shan

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a charitable donation in his honor to one of the following charities which Dan was passionate about:

Cubs Charities (sports-based youth development) https://www.mlb.com/cubs/community/cubs-charities/donate

The Humane Society https://www.humanesociety.org/

Community Hospice & Palliative Care Foundation https://www.communityhospice.com/foundation/memorial-giving/donation/     

The family wishes to thank Community Hospice & Palliative Care for making Dad’s last days peaceful and comfortable. You truly are doing God’s work.