Dan Shumaker's Obituary
Dan J. Shumaker, a life-long resident of Tulsa, Oklahoma, passed away on June 27, 2017 at the age of 89.Dan is survived by his three daughters and their husbands, Janet and David Rader, Ginger and Larry Robison, and Judy and Stu Garmaker; sister Betty Lackner; grandchildren Daniel and wife Deidra Rader, Jordan and wife Emily Rader, Kendal and husband Michael McMahon, Bailey Robison, and Grayson Garmaker; great grandchildren Jett, Jax, JD, AnnaBelle, and Meyers; several nieces, a nephew, and his dog, Tanner. He is preceded in death by his beautiful wife, Joan; parents Ray and Agnes Shumaker; brother Billy Jim Shumaker; and his sister Joan Walker.Dan was in the Tulsa Central class of 1945, but drafted into the Army during high school. He was honorably discharged in 1946 and began working at American Airlines, where he would continue to work faithfully for 42 years. At the time of his retirement in 1988, Dan was the Superintendent of Aircraft Servicing.In 1950, Dan married Joan Marie Anderson. He and Joan raised their daughters on North Irvington and made many great memories there, as well as at their cabin on Grand Lake. Once retired, Dan and Joan enjoyed traveling with their travel trailer and often took their little dog, Millie. They were married for 58 years at the time of Joan’s death, and Dan missed her terribly for the rest of his life.Dan could fix and build most anything, and in his younger years he spent many evenings working on the family’s home and cars. He and Joan later started a craft hobby together. He built crafts from wood, she painted them, and together they traveled to shows to sell them. They didn’t make much of a profit, but they surely enjoyed these trips and all the activities that went along with them. Dan continued making crafts and going to shows until shortly before his death. He was an independent and youthful 89 year old. People were often shocked to learn his age.Dan spent many years coaching girls softball for McKinley, Bell, Hamilton, and Rogers teams. He was an enthusiastic coach and was very loved by his players, many of whom still refer to him as Mr. Shu or Coach. He enjoyed reminiscing about games, players, and tournaments. Dan had an uncanny memory and could recall details from many things. It was especially fun to hear his stories of growing up on North Quincy, near downtown Tulsa. Although Dan had been ill for the last six months, his daughters just knew he would pull through, and are both shocked and saddened to lose him. Dan was one of a kind and will be deeply missed by those who loved him.Visitation is scheduled for Wednesday, July 5, 2017 from 5 pm – 8 pm at Floral Haven Funeral Home.Funeral Services will take place at 10 am on Thursday, July 6, 2017 in the Floral Haven Chapel.In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Animal Rescue Foundation, where Dan adopted Tanner. Please visit arftulsa.org if you wish to donate.
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