Danny R. Stevens Sr.

Danny passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side after a long battle with cancer. Danny is survived by Nancy, his high-school sweetheart of 62 years, sons, Vince, Danny Jr. and (wife) Kim. Grandchildren, Kennedy, Blake and (wife) Bristol and Great-Grand Baby Stevens. Siblings Terry, Vicki, Stevie and Kim and many in-laws, nephews, nieces and cousins.
Danny was preceded in death by his father, Verlin and mother, Myra. Siblings, Sharon and Gary Dean. Mother-in-law, Margie Dennison and Father-in-law Mallet Bennett.
"We want to thank all of our family and friends for their support as Nancy and Danny coped with this long-term illness and St. Luke's Hospice for their care in Danny's final days."
Danny attended Paseo High School, where he met history teacher H.L. Klutz who became a father-figure, recognized his potential and compelled Danny to LEARN and Be a good, responsible man. Very determined, Danny attended night-school at UMKC, earning a Master's in Business Administration and Marketing and a Bachelor's of Art in Secondary Education, Speech and Drama at Rockhurst University, all while working as a full-time cook at Brownie's Restaurant on Prospect. Mrs. Brown offered Danny support while he tried to find his way to being successful and go to college for his degree. Their love and support shaped his life. Danny became a father in 1965 and again in 1966 and H.L.'s lessons in life became helpful as Danny and Nancy did their best to keep it all together as teenaged parents.
Danny was a life-long Kansas City resident who loved all that Kansas City offered. Cruising in his '57 Ford Fairlane to Town-Topic, Whimpys, Lamar's Donuts and Earls at McGee and Main. Swope Park, Cake Box and Mugs-Up where he met 15 year old car-hop, Nancy in 1962 and Downtown Kansas City was where Danny hung out with friends.
Danny took his little boys on adventures around KC, hungout at the Nelson Art Gallery and Volker Park, where he let Vince and Danny play in the fountains. The Little Blue River area offered exploring and fishing, where Danny taught his boys to swim, respect and enjoy nature and explained to them why it was important to save a turtle crossing the road, "We all need a help at times." Danny loved reading, art, nature and being outdoors. Danny enjoyed playing Horseshoes and drinking a beer with family and friends.
Danny was a proud Veteran of the U.S. Army, drafted in 1970, stationed at Ft. Hood, TX and Ft. Campbell, KY where he was in-charge of something called computers. Danny was a natural with computers and excelled in this role, learning all of this new technology and running the computer system for the U.S. Army until his discharge in 1972.
In 1974, Danny was called back to Ft. Campbell for mandatory training in computers.
The Army's computer system went down and no one could figure out how to fix it. Danny was placed on active reserve, brought back into the U.S. Army to fix their system and spent the next 10 months training a room full of Army cadets on how to run and manage the computer. Danny was awarded the Army Accommodation Medal for his time and service.
As Danny aged, being a member of the Grandview Elks Lodge and American Legion meant so much to him. He enjoyed spending time with fellow Veterans, sharing stories and wearing his Army Veteran ball-cap. Danny would visit Veteran's associations when on trips.
The hi-tech education Danny got in the Army lead to his 1st real job at Southwestern Bell in 1972 in the growing field of telecommunications. From Ma-Bell Danny moved on in 1976 to selling computer systems for Digital System Sales, where he gained more knowledge of computers and the art of sales. For the next 30 years, Danny was recognized as the guy to talk to if you wanted or needed a computer system, but his real success came in 1980, when he began working at Dataco / DeRex selling every type of printer imaginable. As Danny worked his deals, his reputation grew. Danny became known as The Printer Guy across the U.S.A. For the next 27 years, Danny worked directly with companies like IBM, HP, Cannon, Konica & Ricoh developing printers as an outside consultant and helping DataCO become a major player in the industry. He retired early at 60 to enjoy his family and friends to the fullest.
IF you saw Danny, you saw his beloved belly-bag. Where he went, his belly-bag went and carried all of his essentials. Always wearing a happy smile, Danny kept his Yo-yo and temporary tattoos in the belly-bag, doing tricks with his Yo-yo for kids and putting tattoos on lots of little arms. On vacations, Danny would buy a souvenir belly-bag as a keepsake.
Danny loved telling bad, dad jokes. Danny kept a log of jokes hoping to make others laugh and was always ready to tell another joke. We all played along with this happy man.
Danny and Nancy spent 62 years building a life together and shared a fairytale journey. Their home was always full of love, joy and happiness, despite some of the challenges the young parents had to overcome. Their motivations where their little boys and their happiness. Nancy said, "From where we started and the great life we lived, I never would've guessed this. Danny and I worked hard and kept trying. Danny always said he'd never let us down."
Danny touched many lives, was always willing to lend a hand helping those in need and persuaded those around him to, "be forgiving, because life can be tough." Danny's love for family and friends was strong and never wavered. He sought out those close to him, spent his time interacting, making great memories, play a game of Horseshoes and sharing a beer.
In heaven, the man wearing the belly-bag and telling bad, dad jokes will be missed.
Danny will be laid to rest at Leavenworth National Cemetery, 150 Muncie Rd., Leavenworth, KS 66048 with military honors on Monday, July 22, 2024 at 12:30PM.