Daniel Clarence Blicharz

Our beloved Dan, or "Danny Boy," passed away peacefully and surrounded by loved ones on the evening of Friday, August 29, 2025. That was just about a month and a half after his son, Todd, died. Dan is survived by his daughter, Terri, and his son-in-law, Marcus Feder, IV.

Daniel was born in Wisconsin and grew up on the East Side of Milwaukee with his eight siblings. If you were fortunate enough to call him a friend, you knew that Dan was a superb storyteller and many of his stories were about his life in Milwaukee back in the day. There was the time a horse-drawn garbage cart "parked" in front of his elementary school, and its drivers stepped away just long enough for young Dan to climb up and grab the reins. Needless to say, the horses took off with Dan at the helm. There were endless tales about adventures along the Milwaukee River, including one with an icehouse filled with massive slabs of ice cut from the Milwaukee River in the winter. The ice was used to keep wooden ice box refrigerators cold. Inside the insulated icehouse, the ice slabs were stacked with thick layers of sawdust between them. Dan and his buddies would sneak inside to sit on the ice during the summer.

Daniel attended Riverside High School on the East Side, where he ran track and found his bride to be, Jacquelyn Ann Baron. Together, they enjoyed an old-fashioned love affair. He would pick her, and they'd go to the Pig n' Whistle for hamburgers and frozen custard.

After high school, Dan enlisted in the U.S. Army. This was during the Korean War. It wasn't long before he was sent to Hawaii, then Japan, and finally to the front lines in Korea. Dan was wounded during the famous battle on Pork Chop Hill and subsequently received a Purple Heart. In his later years, he proudly wore his Korean vet baseball cap and enjoyed the many "thank you for your service" comments that he received.

After the war, Dan and Jackie got married and had two children: son, Todd and daughter, Terri. Dan and Jackie opted to raise their kids away from the city and settled in Germantown, Wisconsin, which was then surrounded by farm fields. Dan worked as a finance controller for several companies over the years, while Jackie taught kindergarten and first grade.

In 1999, when Dan and Jackie retired, they moved to Arizona. Over the years, Dan took up many different hobbies, including bread baking, archery, cross-country skiing, collecting Norman Rockwell plates, traveling throughout the United States and Europe, hiking, and golfing. But perhaps his favorite pastime of all was watching pro football. He was a diehard Green Bay Packers fan and would never miss a game.

While living at Arizona Traditions, Dan made a lot of friends over the years. After Jackie's death in 2013, Dan formed a "pool group" with others who enjoyed dining out but didn't want to dine alone. Dan also enjoyed spending time with his significant other, Ann Bonnette. Together, they played cards, traveled, dined out, and enjoyed many a laugh.

To say that Dan will be missed is an understatement. Life for his loved ones will never be the same.