Dan Howard Nowlin

Dan Howard Nowlin, 92, of Sweet Home passed away Sunday, December 14, 2025. He was born on September 9, 1933 to Alice (Marvin) and John H Nowlin at the Emanuel Hospital in Portland, Oregon.

Dan grew up as an only child raised by his grandma and mother Alice Marvin they lived in apartment building on Burnside in Portland.

He joined the Army in 1952. He became a stenographer and took dictation in the Army. Dan attended Oregon Western University in Monmouth where he earned his Bachelors degree and met his sweetheart Ardonna Sylver Elligsen (Donie) they were both studying to be teachers. He met her in the dining hall known as Todd Hall. He married Ardonnah on May 13th 1953 in Wilsonville at Ardonnah's church. It was Mothers day, and he received his orders to depart for Versailles, France. Ardonnah joined him in France 2 months later.

In 1954, he got a teachers position at Foster Elementary School in Sweet Home, where he taught the 6th grade. After a year he left and went back into the Army. They returned to Sweet Home in 1957 and started his position again at Foster School as a 6th grade teacher. His wife Ardonnah got a position also at Foster School in 1958 where she taught the 3rd grade. Dan taught a total of 32 years at Foster school and retired, Ardonnah taught 36 years at Foster.

While Dan taught the 6th grade he brought Chess club to Foster school. He also taught out of a book called Run Away Home. He once took a trip across the United States with his wife, two children and their cat, based on the book Run Away Home pulling a camp trailer. They visited many of the sights that the family visited in the book. Many of Dans students still remember him for Chess and Runaway Home and truly enjoyed being in his classroom.

Dan enjoyed baseball, he played catcher and 1st base on a local team in his 60's. He played chess on chess.com for years with the best of them. His favorite baseball team is the Red Sox and NBA basketball team the Portland Trail Blazers. He is an Oregon Beaver fan all the way. Mark Fletcher, a good friend and coworker ran the Chess club with him they went to OMSI for tournaments and won a few times. Dan enjoyed hiking and fishing with another good friend Jim Riggs at a place by the river called Park Creek. Dan received his Masters Degree at Oregon State University in Corvallis, later in life.

He liked WWII movies, biography movies, and English Lit. His favorite music is Abba, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. He loves classical orchestra style music especially Mozart Beethoven, and Bach. He also enjoyed swing band music. In his younger years he liked to golf. He also enjoyed traveling the United States and Canada with his wife and family.

Dan is survived by daughter Nancy Louise Nowlin, son Dan Howard Nowlin Jr.; five grandchildren; special friends and caretakers Janice and Donald Schatz. Donald has known and did maintenance and yard work for Mr. and Mrs, Nowlin since he was a teenager in the late 70's, he and his best friend Bobby Lovato, who was one of his students from Foster school. He is preceded in death by his wife Ardonnah (2017).

It was Dan and Ardonnah's wishes that they be cremated and their ashes be scattered at certain places that they had chosen together. There will not be any funeral services per his wishes. Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling arrangements. www.sweethomefuneral.com