Daniel H. Schanes

Daniel H Schanes age 79, passed away Thursday April 4th, 2024 after a courageous battle with Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson's Disease.
Daniel was born on November 2nd, 1944 to Howard and Isabelle (Fitzgerald) Schanes. He served his country in the Army in 1965 in Viet Nam and was honorably discharged in 1967.
He married Susan Rose Bottensek on August 30th, 1969. He and Susan had two children Sean (Kim Cronkrite) Schanes and Kara (Mark Mahoney) Schanes. He was also known as "Dan Butch" to most of his family.
Daniel loved being outside and deer hunting. Just after arriving home uninjured from Viet Nam, he was accidentally shot in the left shoulder on Thanksgiving Day 1969 by another hunter. He later told stories of the hospital providing a beer allotment as part of the healing process. He loved the mountains of Colorado and Wyoming and spent many autumns "out west" pursuing elk and mule deer with his brothers, Charles and Kenny, his son Sean and many other friends.
Daniel was an over-the-road truck driver for 30 plus years hauling freight millions of miles and earning many safe driving awards. He owned his own trucking company and drove for many other companies, eventually retiring from Sparhawk Trucking. He loved race cars and the NASCAR Cup Series, attending races with family and friends. He even raced the #13 Blue Ford at Griffith Park Speedway in the late 60's.
He was fortunate to be selected to participate in the Never Forgotten Honor Flight on October 10th, 2016, and was delighted to have his daughter Kara as his chaperone. They documented the trip with many photographs. He loved to take pictures and record videos. He even documented his time in Viet Nam with one of the first video recorders.
He enjoyed riding his Harley-Davidsons to feel the wind and unwind. He liked riding his Harley out to his brother Jerry's on sunny days. He loved Pasqaule's pizza with anchovies and visiting with "Pizza Gramma." He was very fortunate to get to enjoy relaxing on the beach at Soo Lake Resort. He really liked the Pacific Northwest and got to take one last trip to see his sister Judy on Anacortes Island in July of 2023.
He is survived by his ex-wife Susan, their two children, sisters Judy Murray of Anacortes Island, Washington, Heidi (William) Timm of Necedah, Wi, brothers Charles (Cathy) Schanes of Cherry Valley, IL, and Jerry (Cindy) Abel of Necedah, WI and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Daniel is preceded in death by his parents, his brother in law Mike Murray, and his brother Kenny Abel.
Daniel's family would like to thank Lori Alft, the staff at Edgewater Haven Memory Care, the staff at Aspirus Emergency Department, the staff at Heritage Hospice, and the staff at the Wisconsin Rapids Veterans Administration.
A memorial gathering will be held on Monday, April 15th from 2:00pm to 8:00pm at Switched II Banquet Hall, 2609 WI-73, Nekoosa, WI 54457.
In lieu of flowers, the family would love contributions to be made to Never Forgotten Honor Flight.