Daniel Joseph Straatman

Daniel Joseph Straatman entered the world, hitting the ground running as the first U.S.-born member of the growing Straatman family. The family had barely landed in Ellis Island and completed the journey from Holland to the place they would call home in Ogden, Utah, when Dan decided to make his debut on July 9, 1951. Born to mother Neeltje and father Daniel Bato Straatman, Dan was a fun-loving kid who found a love of music, mischief, and golf early in life, always keeping his parents and seven siblings on their toes!

Dan developed a love of music as he grew and was a natural when it came to the guitar. As he tells it to his girls, "Grandma and Grandpa only paid for a summer's worth of lessons, and after that I was self-taught." He would wow his friends from junior high on not only with his guitar capabilities, but also his golfing skills. He later shared great stories about the times he grew up rocking out on his guitar and smashing balls on the golf course. He loved telling his daughters about the day he made a hole-in-one-he was overjoyed, and his girls could hardly believe it!

Dan was drafted into the United States Army during the Vietnam War draft and served from 1971-1973. He told his daughters, "I was drafted, but I didn't end up going with my friends to Vietnam. My troop was sent to West Germany. I went from E-1 and ended as an E-4 in my service time." He spent time traveling during his service in Europe with a guitar in tow that he picked up along the way and never got rid of. When speaking about his service time later in life, he would often talk of how his brother went on his mission for the LDS church while he went into the military. Later on, his dad had told him he was proud of the service Dan spent in the military, that both a religious mission and serving your country are honorable acts. We share the same pride of the time our dad spent serving his country.

After his service, he spent time going to college, playing his guitar, and catching up with friends throughout his 20s. He briefly spent time pursuing his love of music, but decided the musician's life was no life for a man who wanted to have a family one day. Though if you ask anyone, they will tell you he had a gift and could have done it had he chosen to be a guitarist or a golf professional. After his time in college, he ended up working for Proform in Logan, Utah, where met his first and only wife. When his marriage didn't end up working out, he decided to focus his life on his kids and career. He always said the best thing to come out of that time was his two biological daughters, Brooke and Jenny, and a few heart daughters along the way, Emmie, Anna, and Kylie. He ended up spending some time working at Icon Health and Fitness. When his girls were in their teens, he found the job he was to retire from at Hill Airforce Base as an electrical equipment repairer. Coincidentally, Hill Air Force Base was the same place his father had worked for and retired from years prior. Life has a funny way of placing us back in our own family histories sometimes, and Dan always loved that he was able to find that connection to his dad all those years after his dad passed.

When he retired, he found joy in his grandchildren. He also enjoyed spending time arguing with his daughters about not spoiling the grandkids too much - HE was the one doing the spoiling. Spoiling those grandbabies brought him the most joy in life. He lived for the moments those grandkids would shower him with love, and they did daily! Always making sure to text a good morning and good night. Dan often spent time teaching them how to play the guitar, golf, and giving golden grandpa advice. More than anything, he loved spending time with all of his kids and grandkids, whether playing at Lagoon or sitting around a living room sharing some laughs. Dan sure could tell a story, and loved to hear them too. His daughters and grandchildren have been known to fact-check with friends and relatives and would often get a big smile followed by an "it's true!" and a launch into their recounting of events.

He spent his retirement time living between his two daughters, who later helped him as his health was declining due to Rheumatoid Arthritis complications, and ultimately a lung cancer diagnosis that claimed his life 12 days after he learned about his lung cancer. If he were here today, he would say to you, "Don't ever smoke, the worst decision I ever made." He said he wasn't ready to leave those grandbabies, and we all are heartbroken that we didn't get more time with him. That's the thing about legends, we never get the time with them that we want, and their secret greatness isn't known till they aren't around to be humble about it anymore.

When his heart daughters, biological or otherwise, needed assistance, he was no stranger to helping them out. He would always help his girls with purchasing a car or getting a lawyer when someone needed it, expecting nothing in return but the satisfaction of knowing his girls are safe. They were always his girls, he said. He instilled this sentiment of looking out for his girls in his son-in-law, who he often spoke of as if he were his own son. He said he always wanted a son, and he was thankful for Joel in his life.

Daniel Joseph Straatman is survived by his daughters and their respective families, Jenny Holt, Brooke Straatman. Son in-law Joel Holt. Grandchildren (Jenny): Jadyn, Danielle, Clara June, and Gaven Holt. (Brooke) Lillian, Evalynn, and Alice Fowler. Heart daughters: Emmie Mitchell, Anna Rill, and Kylie Kolster. Siblings: Albert Straatman, Pearl Van Hulten, Robert Straatman, and Yvonne Preece, countless nieces and nephews who loved him dearly. He is preceded in death by his parents, Neeltje Straatman and Daniel Straatman, siblings: Wayne Straatman, Debbie Jacobsen, and Lee Sudweeks.

We will be holding a celebration of life in West Bountiful, Utah, on September 13th, 2025, from 1-4pm. If you plan to attend, please contact a daughter, Brooke or Jenny, for more information on the location. The only dress requirement is "Dress like Dan," so wear your most comfortable shirts, shorts, and tennis shoes - your best Dan fit. Make sure to bring your most favorite stories with or about Dan too, we would love to hear them!