Some days life is like a gut punch.
For family, friends and acquaintances of Danny Staehr, that day
was Saturday, February 20, 2021. Dan passed away at age 68
in Lincoln, NE. Dan was born in York, NE and lived much of his
life in Lincoln. Dan leaves behind his wife (Susan) of 46 years
and sons (Andrew and William) along with four grandchildren
and various extended family members and friends.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, February 24,
2021 at Holy Savior Lutheran Church with Pastor James Irwin
officiating. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, only invited guests will
be in attendance. Video access to the service can be viewed
on Holy Savior’s website https://www.holysavior.org. A copy of
the services will be available on the church’s YouTube page
(link is available on the Holy Savior webpage on February 26th).
Burial will be at York Cemetery, date yet to be determined.
For a complete obituary and life details refer to the link below:
Dan wore many hats: Nebraska National Guard Band and
Communication Department, Boy Scout, Zoo Butterfly Curator,
member of the International Butterfly Organization and owner
of Staehr Media Services. He was best known as “Dan The
Weatherman” on KLIN 1400 AM in Lincoln.
Dan The Weatherman, however, brought a storm of both humor
and genuine kindness.
To give you context, I am a Northern California (Napa, CA) native
who attended and graduated from the University of Nebraska
(1997). Though I only spent four years of my life in Nebraska, it
is a time that I still hold dear to my heart not just for my
Cornhusker fandom but because of the many great people I met.
I had three groups of friends: a) My Cather-Pound Hall dorm
friends, b) My Daily Nebraskan friends and c) My Broadcast
House friends.
To this day, I consider Dan an integral part of Group C. Like Dan,
I graduated with my degree in broadcasting and while he
minored in meteorology, I also gained experience as a writer.
That skill turned into a 19 year career in the newspaper industry,
mostly in the Napa Valley. I learned so much from him about
journalism and life. He believed in being the reporter of the story,
not the creator. That quality is becoming exceedingly harder to
find.
Dan was funny but his sense of humor was never malicious. As
a person, you have to look long and hard to find a more genuinely
kind soul than Dan. While his short and squatty build could be
intimidating, Dan was a gentle giant.
I worked with him for four years, doing a variety of roles at
Broadcast House from board operator, production assistant and
occasional on-air talent. As an out of stater, Dan and many others
made me feel welcome. If not for my family being in Northern
California, I could have happily stayed in Lincoln for about 1/10
the cost. Napa, CA is my hometown. Lincoln, NE is my college
hometown.
Though the media industry is no longer my career, I remain active
as a freelance writer. Being a commercial delivery driver has
been my career since 2014. I met many people in the media
industry, some of which give off a vibe of arrogance. Dan was
the polar opposite. I felt like I could talk to him about most
anything: work, family, life, etc.
The gesture that I will never forget as long as I live came on
Thanksgiving 1997. I volunteered to work since I wanted to fly
back home for Christmas. No more than a couple of days before
Thanksgiving, Dan told me that he and Susan would bring me,
“a goodie plate for dinner.” I obliged. Dan and Susan did not
disappoint. They brought me enough food for three days. I was
absolutely astounded. Their gesture was not expected but so
appreciated. I remain humbled that they thought of me.
I speak from experience but the media industry can be a stressful
life that can swallow you up. Dan, however, by definition was the
calm in the eye of the storm. Spoiler alert but the Midwest has
inclimate weather from tornado watches/warnings, thunderstorms,
and occasionally wicked snow storms. Dan would heroically brave
the elements so he could bring Nebraskans the most up-to-date
news.
Dan and I also had some personal humor as I was a huge fan of
comedian George Carlin, who once created hilarious bits that
depicted the radio industry with “Al Sleet the hippy dippy
weatherman” and “Biff Barf” for sports updates. With the former,
the bit was highlighted by “tonight’s forecast -- dark. With widely
scattered light in the morning.” With Biff Barf, there was, “here’s a
partial score -- Stanford 29.” The DJ was known as “Wonderful
Wino.” One of Carlin’s pet peeves with weather forecasts were
referring to “rain events.”
Suffice it to say, Dan and I had some very fun banter. Most
updates combine news, sports, and weather. I was doing sports
updates one day and I couldn’t resist, “Now it’s time for Dan
The Hippy Dippy Weatherman.” Without skipping a beat, Dan
utters, “Thanks, Biff. Tonight’s forecast -- Dark with widely
scattered light in the morning.” Keeping a straight face was
next to impossible.
Another gesture from Dan I will never forget was that my last
class at the University of Nebraska was needing to fulfill a
science requirement. So I took a meteorology class which Dr.
Ken Dewey taught. Science was not my long suit. I struggled
mightily but not because of Dewey. Dan’s coaching alone
helped me pass the class and graduate. After hearing the
news that I passed the class, I fired up a cigar.
Another memory I have of Dan came in the summer of 1999,
one year after I moved back to the Napa Valley. I was living
with my parents. Dan, Susan and his uncle, I believe, were
visiting family in Livermore, CA, which is the East Bay Area.
Napa, where I live, is North Bay. Dan alerted me that he was
in the area. He drove to my house in Napa. We decided to go
wine tasting. Dan and I rode in my 1998 Dodge Dakota as
Susan and his uncle followed us to Beringer Vineyards.
Between the half-hour drive to St. Helena, CA and sipping
glasses of fermented grape juice, the conversation and
friendship was tremendous.
Two years later, August 2001, Ken Bettinelli (my childhood
friend) and I flew back to Lincoln to watch the Huskers play
TCU. The day after the game, we met Dan for breakfast at
Perkins. Once again, the friendship oozed great vibes.
Any friendship with Dan was such that neither time nor
distance could break it.
Dan “The Hippy Dippy Weatherman,” I’m in no hurry to get
where you are going but I know we'll meet again some day.
I’ll bring Biff Barf with me too as well as a bottle of Beringer
Cabernet.
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