Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Dan The Weatherman brought a storm of humor and kindness

 

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: 


https://roperandsons.com/danny-staehr/?fbclid=IwAR0VKSmhGLsgmRgLfEZqsReBhn7w-Q4u8q_hyo5fCz7npFb6eXauPFeoppw


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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