Daniel James "Dan" Dressel

Daniel "Dan" Dressel Obituary
Daniel "Dan" James Dressel, 61, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. For the last three years Dan faced extraordinary medical challenges, and he will be remembered for meeting each one with grace and determination. He spent recent months in and out of the hospital battling various complications. In the end, following five weeks in the ICU, Dan gave his family the gift of time. He spent his last few days surrounded by their love, eating his favorite foods, watching his favorite team, and reminiscing, before letting go of this world.
Dan grew up in Bexley, Ohio where he developed his passion for sports. A member of the Bexley High School Class of 1982, he played basketball for the Bexley Lions. He spent his summers sailing on Buckeye Lake and competing in regattas around the U.S. At 6'4" with a warm smile that put everyone at ease, he was the definition of a gentle giant. His intellect (and self-admitted love of sports) took him to Notre Dame for his undergraduate degree and Duke for his MBA, where he became a lifelong fan of Notre Dame football and Duke basketball.
Dan met the love of his life, his wife Kim, working in Chicago at Anderson Consulting, later Accenture. Though proud of his work, his greatest joy came from his family. He became the fiercely proud father of Sarah, Andrea, and Emma. He shared his love of sports with Andrea and Emma, and during off seasons, his love of Star Trek with Sarah. After a number of years in Dayton, Ohio and then Burke, Virginia, the Dressel family settled back in Bexley, Ohio. Here, Dan continued to build his community as a long time member of Peace Lutheran Church, owner of a local UPS store, singer in the Harmony Project, and blood donor to and volunteer for the Red Cross.
Dan endured a spinal cord injury in 2022 from a spontaneous hemorrhage on his spine that baffled doctors and left him paralyzed. In the years since, he successfully adapted his whole life and rebuilt his strength. Dan was there for every important moment for his family, attending a graduation for each of his three daughters as well as his daughter Sarah's wedding. Since his injury, he expanded his community further, connecting with other people with spinal cord injuries and participating in research studies to improve the lives of those living with paralysis.
The close ties he maintained with friends from each stage of his life are a testament to his generosity of time and love. Dan's legacy is one of meeting hardship and life's unfair challenges with courage, persistence, and joy. He was a bright light in a world that needs more bright lights.
He is lovingly remembered by his wife of 36 years, Kim Dressel; his daughters, Sarah (Mario) Encinas, Andrea Dressel, and Emma Dressel; his parents, Jim and Nancy Dressel; and his sisters, Amy Dunlea and Kathy Simonton.
A funeral service will be held Saturday, October 11, 2025, at 11:00 AM at Peace Lutheran Church, 455 Clark State Rd, Gahanna, OH 43230. A celebration of life will follow in the afternoon at 3:30 PM at Switch (on the ground level at East Market), 212 Kelton Ave, Columbus, OH 43205 – Notre Dame apparel encouraged. All who knew and loved Dan are welcome.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made to some of the organizations that meant the most to Dan including The Harmony Project, The Ian Burkhart Foundation, and The Ability Center - Wisconsin. In addition, because giving blood was a cause close to his heart, and in gratitude for the transfusions that gave him precious time with his loved ones in his final days, the family invites you to honor his memory by donating blood. The Dressel family will be giving blood at this upcoming blood drive hosted by Kim's workplace.