Classic Americana . . . This guy was the real deal. A thinking man’s engineer with blue collar appeal. A master at simplifying the complex. Less is more. Simplicity over extravagance. If cliché ever met reality, here’s your guy. The definitive “big strong silent” type. A man of few words, leads by example, actions speak louder than . . . give you the shirt off his back, never tell a lie, work hard, play hard . . .
Dan Howard Lovejoy, or Turp, as he was known in Idaho, was born in Rexburg, on Christmas Eve 1934. Verla and Howard’s young son was instilled with morals, manners, and the meaning of hard work and responsibilities. The eldest of three brothers and a sister, his siblings would fuel his competitive fire.
His character was gathered from strong family values and small-town living. It was honed on athletic fields of play and in the forests of Island Park where he lived and worked each summer at his grandfather’s sawmill. The sawmill log pond is now on the National Register of Historic Places, named after Dan’s grandfather, Dan Stoddard.
Dan’s father was a high school math teacher and athletic coach. Dan attended grammar school in Rigby, Idaho, Lava Hot Springs, Idaho, Adrian, Oregon, and Nyssa, Oregon where he also attended high school. He was active in and excelled in all high school sports.
In 1953 Dan entered Oregon State University on a baseball scholarship and graduated in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering. He played baseball for the “Beavers” for four years, was an all-star catcher, and to this day remains one of Oregon State’s finest hitters.
He played professional baseball with the Salem Senators and the Lewiston Broncos during the summer of 1957.
From 1958 through 1961 Dan served in the US Army Signal Corps and Infantry Division in Bad Kreuznach, Germany. He was then assigned to B-Company in support of an airborne battle group. Dan would play baseball for Army and spend a summer coaching the B-Company squad and the following summer the 8TH Infantry team, traveling for games throughout Germany and France.
Upon his discharge, despite his prowess as a ball player, Dan would choose engineering as a career path. He began his career as an electrical engineer at Sperry Utah in 1962. He held several supervisory and management positions before retiring from (Sperry) L-3 Communications in 1997.
It was at Sperry that Dan met and fell in love with Barbara Snyder Owen and her four-year-old son Carl. They were married in July of 1964. Together they would roam the world, enjoy sports, run rivers, hike mountains, volunteer, create art, and enjoy life’s pleasures.
Some of Dan’s other pleasures were ice cream, problem solving, nature, pie, a good sporting match, a cold beer, his cabin on the Snake River, ice cream, woodworking, a shared meal with family and friends, paddling rivers, fine whiskeys, and ice cream.
He liked holding the door for others, clean air, feeding the birds, reading, finding solutions, and time spent pondering. He collected friends, wood, trophies, and memories.
He leaned to the left in the booth, preferred to fabricate, rather than buy. He ate liver and onions, believed in science, empathized with Native Americans, and saved both money and scrap. He enjoyed a stiff drink and feasted on fastballs.
Dan was a past member of the Wasatch Mountain Club, American Legion, Scabbard & Blade, and a member of the Sport’s Mall, where he played tennis. He played in many tennis tournaments attaining an Intermountain ranking in men’s doubles. He played until he no longer could.
A charitable man, Dan Howard chose to live modestly. His wealth he shared with others. Family, friends, organizations, military personnel, food banks, the less fortunate, were all recipients of his kindness.
Dan passed away peacefully at his home on June 28th from complications with congestive heart failure. He was 88. He is survived by his wife Barbara Lovejoy, his son Carlton Lovejoy, daughter-in-law Nancy Lovejoy, his sister Patricia Bendz Lovejoy, brothers Kent Lovejoy and Michael Lovejoy, and many loving cousins, nieces, and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his mother Verla Stoddard Lovejoy, father Thorne Howard Lovejoy, and brother Billy Brent Lovejoy.
Dan’s wish was to be cremated and no service. There will be a private graveside ceremony at a later date for family and close friends. In lieu of flowers, “raise a glass” in Dan’s honor, and/or give to the charity of your choice.
