Daniel Crane

1953 - 2015

Daniel Crane of Allenspark, Colorado passed away September 13, 2015. Dan was born in Warsaw, New York on April 11, 1953 to Richard and Jean Crane. Dan grew up on a dairy farm in Bliss, NY where he learned his lifelong work ethic and skills that translated into his successful businesses, including growing and running the family farm, Allenspark Excavation, and Allenspark Construction.
After graduating from Letchworth Central High School in Gainesville, New York in 1971, Dan married his high school sweetheart Adrienne (Franny) Demers on September 4, 1971 in Bliss, New York. During forty four years of marriage, they raised two children, Jason and Lorelei, and ran a dairy farm before moving to Allenspark in 2000.
Dan was always known for his zeal for life. He was an adventure loving, dare devil, nothing was impossible man. He lived life like he was going 100 mph. He rode motorcycles standing up, scaled mountains, skied down slopes with no trails, and drove like he was the only one on the road. His sister said "He would jump off the (60 ft) bridge at Letchworth State Park. Everyone thought he was crazy but I understood why he did it. It really was a symbol of his life."
He was a doer, giver, and peacemaker. Hard work never deterred him, in fact it, motivated him. The more difficult the job, the more he owned it. His ingenuity combined with insanity got the job done. He did nothing less than excellent work. He would not put his name on it unless it was excellent. Excellent is the perfect word to describe this man when it came to people. He loved to be around people. He went out of his way to meet people and spend hours talking and helping them; many, many hours talking. He had a kind, sweet heart that would offer help whenever he could. One person said, "he was the glue that held this town together". He hated to let people down.
Dan was a person you could always count on to help out. For example, no matter what the weather conditions, he would be out plowing so people could get out of their driveways day or night. Dan was always willing to come pull people out of snow banks, put tire chains on, or perform other kind acts when people just needed a bit of help. He was a fixture at the Meadow Mountain Café, where he ate breakfast almost every day for the past 15 years - and many of his friends in Allenspark met him for the first time.
An example of his kindness was during the 2013 flood in Colorado. Dan was first on the scene to prevent the road at St. Malo from completely washing out, donating his time and equipment to ensure safe passage for those needing to get to and from Estes Park. In fact, he made a homemade raft to float the excavator to the other side, using ingenuity and insanity, to make the road safe.
Dan was an extraordinary person – the likes of whom comes around only once in a lifetime. Everyone who encountered him is richer for having known him. He will be very deeply missed, and has left an indelible legacy. We should all take a moment to do a small act of kindness in memory of Dan.
Dan is survived by his Wife Adrienne; Son Jason (Heather) of Rochester, NY; Daughter Lorelei (Mark) of Charlotte, NC; Brother Fred Crane; Sisters Adeline Davis, Suzanne Buck and Jenny Curtis; Grandchildren Michael Crane, Michelle Crane, Ryan Crane, Emma Beightol, and Jared Beightol.
Visitation will be at the Allnutt Funeral Home on Friday September 18 from 4pm to 7pm.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Allenspark Community Church on Saturday, September 19 at 10 a.m. with a potluck reception to follow the service at the Old Gallery in Allenspark.  An additional Celebration of Life Service will be held in Wyoming County, NY at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Allenspark Fire Department or to the American Cancer Society in care of Allnutt Funeral Service, 1302 Graves Ave. Estes Park, CO 80517. See www.allnutt.com to send a message to Dan's family.