Daniel Joseph Soptich

We are deeply saddened to share the passing of Daniel (Dan) Joseph Soptich on Saturday, May 27, at age 71. He died peacefully at Yakima Memorial Hospital, surrounded by his family. Dan was born in Kansas City, Kansas, on December 27, 1951.
Dan's greatest joy was his family, and he spent his entire life surrounded by a large, close-knit extended family. He spent his younger years in Kansas and the family moved west to Selah when he was a sophomore in high school. He was very involved in Boy Scouts as a child and his dad was his troop's Scoutmaster. Dan attended college at the University of Washington. He met Melinda when they were both working for the Forest Service and they married in 1979.
Dan was incredibly proud of his daughters, Meghan and Erin. He coached their sports teams, helped with math homework, supported their interests, and drove them back and forth to college. Dan was delighted to become a grandfather and loved his visits, trips and calls with Makenna, Ada, Roman and August.
Dan started his career with the Forest Service at age 17, working on a survey crew. He also began serving on crews responding to wildland fires. He spent most of his career as a civil engineer with the Naches Ranger District, the South Engineering Zone, and the Forest Transportation team, designing roads, bridges, campgrounds and trails. He used to take Melinda and the girls out to see the projects he was working on, including a fish ladder he designed on the Little Naches River.
Dan retired in 2008 after 40 years with the Forest Service but continued to serve as Logistics Section Chief with a Northwest Region Incident Response Team. He responded to fires in the western U.S. and Alaska, served on a team that responded to Hurricane Katrina and helped set up vaccination clinics during the Covid pandemic.
A true sports fanatic, Dan followed every detail of UW football, and his closet was filled with Husky sweatshirts and accessories. He loved sports of all kinds and was thrilled that his sons-in-law and grandkids enjoyed following Seattle teams with him. He and Melinda regularly attended high school and local games and traveled to the west side to cheer on their grandkids' teams.
Dan was so smart. He could put his logical, engineering brain to any problem and enjoyed tackling difficult projects. Dan loved to tinker and build, and he took pride in being able to care for his family and home. When the girls were growing up, he built them bunk beds, a playhouse, an atrium for finches, custom furniture for their college dorms, potting benches and much more. His large shop was carefully organized and lined with peanut butter jars of screws, nails and many other supplies.
A lifelong learner, Dan was always curious about the world. He loved reading historical books and followed the news closely. Dan had a deep appreciation for music and theater. He and Melinda instilled an interest in music in their girls from a very young age and he enjoyed sharing music with his grandkids. Dan and Melinda had season tickets to the Capitol Theater in Yakima and enjoyed the performances that came through town. Last summer, they traveled to Seattle to see Hamilton with their girls and sons-in-law.
Dan loved the outdoors and was fortunate to spend much of his career outside. The family spent much of their summers camping along the Bumping River and made many trips to Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon. A highlight of every summer was the huge Smith/Soptich family reunion in August. After their retirements, he and Melinda enjoyed hiking in the Yakima River Canyon. Even after downsizing from their larger property on Mapleway, they still worked hard maintaining their yard. They enjoyed planning, planting and harvesting their garden together each summer.
Dan was the rock who could be counted on to show up in a crisis and help calm the storm. As the oldest of eight, he stepped in to help care for his family after his father died at the age of 48. He continued to support many of his siblings through the most challenging periods of their lives. Dan's love language was acts of service and his family and friends were blessed by how he gave his time and talents so generously.
In November 2022, Dan was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a rapidly progressing condition that left him paralyzed from the chest down. He spent five weeks at Swedish Hospital's Rehab unit in Seattle, where he and Melinda learned skills to help them adjust to their new reality. Unfortunately, he continued to experience other challenges, including difficulty breathing, and he was admitted to the hospital on May 21 with pneumonia and was eventually moved to the critical care unit. At the hospital, doctors were finally able to connect all of his symptoms and determine that he likely had an advanced form of cancer.
We are heartbroken to have lost Dan, but we are grateful that he is free of his pain and was able to make the transition with dignity and on his own terms. We are so thankful for the time he got to spend with his family and friends in the past several months. We are also deeply appreciative of the amazing medical providers who cared for him, including the Swedish rehab team, the Mountainview Home Health team, and the Yakima Memorial nurses and doctors who cared for him and our family so compassionately during his final week.
Dan was a lifelong blood donor and regularly organized blood drives at the Forest Service. He continued to volunteer with the Yakima chapter of the Red Cross after he retired. We were grateful that he was able to receive transfusions to help relieve some of his symptoms during his final week in the hospital. He was also an organ donor and was able to give the gift of sight to two people following his death.
Dan is survived by his wife of 44 years, Melinda Warren; his daughters, Meghan (Nick) Pembroke of Everett, WA, and Erin (Mark) Gross of Edmonds, WA; and his grandchildren, Makenna Gross, Ada Pembroke, Roman Gross and August Pembroke. He is also survived by his mother, Norma Lee Soptich DeGraw; his siblings Mark (Connie) Soptich, Lee (Carrie) Soptich, Becky Belton, Pat (Cindy) Soptich, Eric (Troy Allen) Soptich, Lisa Huck, and Alex (Robin) Soptich; more than 100 aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews; and his stepmother-in-law, Marianne Warren. In addition to his grandparents and many close friends, he was preceded in death by his father, Henry George Soptich, his in-laws, Bob and Mary Warren, his Uncle Larry, his Aunt Bev, and his beloved brother-in-law, Greg Huck.
Dan leaves a huge hole in our lives. We will miss his smarts, his generosity, his compassion for others, his love for his family and his sense of humor. As he would say, "What's not to love?"
A Celebration of Life for Dan will be held on Saturday, June 24, from 1:00-4:00pm, at Jim Sprick Park, on Highway 410, about 20 minutes west of Naches (13680 WA-410). We'll share stories about Dan and honor his life. The celebration will be held outdoors, so please dress comfortably. Food and drinks will be provided.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation payable to Outdoors for All, an organization that Dan supported long before he became paralyzed, and send in care of Brookside Funeral Home (P.O. Box 1267, Moxee, WA 98936). We also encourage you to consider donating blood in Dan's honor.
Brookside Funeral Home is caring for the family. Memories and condolences may be shared at www.brooksidefuneral.com.