Daniel Turner, age 96, of River Falls, died peacefully on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at his residence. Dan was born on Nov. 1, 1926, in the state of Mississippi. The family moved to Minneapolis shortly thereafter where he graduated from high school. He enlisted in the Armed Forces where he proudly served during World War II in the Navy. After being discharged, he returned to the Armed Forces joining the Air Force, this time serving during the Korean War. His patriotism was obvious, and he was a lifetime member of the VFW and American Legion.
He was married to Edna Desota and daughters Kimberly and Deonna were born. This union would later dissolve. He was united in marriage to Millie Danielson on Feb. 4, 1967. She brought children Michael, Linda, Dwight, Susan and Bruce into the fold. Dan welcomed all and became Dad after a short time.
By trade, Dan was a mechanic all his life. He worked for White Trucks Dealership in the Twin Cities and specialized in transmissions. If Dan had to single out one passion in life, it would be golf. He always looked forward to being out with family and friends playing 18. He might have enjoyed the camaraderie more than the golf. He and Millie owned and operated the Clifton Hollow Supper Club for many years and developed many friendships along the way. Earlier in life, bowling with the boys was always fun and more recently a trip to the casino to try his luck with the one-armed bandits. He also enjoyed fishing the lakes near Spooner or trips to Lake Michigan to fill the freezer with salmon. He was known to be competitive with a good game of cribbage or gin and found watching the Twins or Timberwolves on TV exciting. Initially he was a Minnesota Viking fan with season tickets, but he saw the light and joined the Danielson family to become a Packer fan. The travels with Millie brought them to many countries, among them, Australia, France, Russia and Iceland.
Dan is survived by his children, Michael (Suzanne) Danielson of Prescott, Wis., Linda Huppert of Roberts, Wis., Dwight “Deed” (Rita) Danielson of Hammond, Wis., Susie Jacoby of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Bruce Danielson of Tampa, Fla., Kim Turner of Isanti, Minn., Deonna Turner of Minneapolis, Minn.; 14 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. His wife Millie, brother Bob, and son-in-law Tim Huppert preceded him in death.
The funeral service for Daniel Turner was held at 4 p.m. Monday, April 3 at the First Congregational, United Church of Christ in River Falls. Visitation was one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery in River Falls. Military honors were performed by the American Legion Fletcher Pechacek Post 121 of River Falls. Funeral services are entrusted to the O’Connell Family Funeral Home of River Falls.
