Daniel Joseph “Dan” Garner

Daniel J. Garner, 76, of Stevensville, passed away peacefully on Sunday, August 11th in his home with his family lovingly by his side.
Born January 24th, 1948 in Kansas City, Kansas, he was the third of eight children of Myron and Alice Garner. Dan was known to be a mischievous child, constantly playing tricks on his siblings. Although he lettered in several sports in high school, academics was where he truly shined. He graduated with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Kansas in 1970, an M.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1972, and he earned an Applied Scientist Degree from George Washington University. While working a summer job as a graduate student, he met his loving wife, Velana, in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Dan fell hard and fast in love and wanted to propose to Velana after only three months. Her family was happy, but asked him to just take more time to get to know each other. They wed on May 23rd, 1971 and spent the next 53 years happily married. Dan proudly served in the U.S. Navy for four years as a nuclear power school instructor at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, California and was a trusted staff member of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover. After the Navy, he worked in a joint Department of the Navy/Department of Energy program as a Technical Assistant to the Deputy Director in Fairfax, Virginia. Desiring more of an impact on the nuclear power industry, he received an appointment from President Reagan as a Technical Assistant to the Chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Although Dan enjoyed the work, he did not enjoy the bureaucracy and decided to leave government work (for good) and moved to Atlanta, Georgia where he worked as a Manager of Equipment Performance at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations. This job would send him around the globe for up to six months out of the year, inspecting nuclear reactors and ensuring they were up to standard. His expertise was called upon when he was sent to Chernobyl in Pripyat, Ukraine for three months in 1993 to investigate the circumstances that led to the disaster. Their team was also charged to provide recommendations to safely contain the radiation. Dan would eventually move, one last time, to Southwest Michigan in 1999 to be part of the team that brought Unit #2 back online at the DC Cook Nuclear Plant. He would semi-retire in 2010, and provided consultation services to several nuclear plants within the United States.
In his spare time, Dan was a voracious reader; primarily science fiction, finishing a book a week for many years. He was also a semi-professional photographer and won several accolades for his black and white photographs inspired by Ansel Adams. While living in California, he truly loved hiking the outdoors and realized his upbringing in Kansas kept him from discovering a love for fresh seafood. He was also published in the mechanical engineer’s bible, Mark’s Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers. In his spare time, he could also be found tinkering, enjoying music, cooking, watching sports, and coaching boy’s soccer. During his last 10 years, he became an avid wood-turner, producing many fine works from wood he harvested from his own backyard. He was also selective who he chose to argue politics with; he was right, and he knew it! Dan was a very accomplished man, but was never boastful. He was a private, ethical, and humble man who loved a good laugh and had a playful side. His quirks and stories will be sorely missed.
He is survived by his loving wife, Velana, his children, Robert (Charron) and James, his grandchildren, Doyle and Maisie, his brothers Jim (Carol), John (Liane), and Phil (Maggie), sisters Mary (Darryl) and Paula, and the family dog, Admiral. Dan was preceded in death by his parents, Myron and Alice, his brother Mike, and sister Susi.
A special thank you to the doctors, nurses, and care team of Corewell Health hospice care. You all truly treated Dan as if he were a member of your own family!
Visitation will be held Sunday, August 18th from 2-4pm at the Starks & Menchinger Chapel, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph. Funeral service will be held on Monday, August 19th at 11am at St. Joseph Catholic Church in St. Joseph, followed by interment at Hickory Bluff Cemetery. After the services, all who are able are invited to pay their respects at the family’s residence for a reception.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society.