Dan A. Pease, a lifelong resident of East Wilton, passed away on Thursday, March 24. He was 74.
Born on October 11, 1947 to Elmer and Thelma Pease, he was the eighth born of nine children. As a child he lived on his family’s farm, helping with various tasks, especially gardening. Working on the farm as a child formed the foundation of his incredible work ethic.
At 18, he met his loving, funny wife Luella while working at Livermore Shoe Shop. They married on July 22, 1966 and together they brought eight children into the world - Lisa, Linda, Laura, Brian, Bruce, Brent, Brad and Lori.
In 1977 Dan, with the help of his brothers, built the family home on Orchard Drive for him and Luella to raise their children.
Dan’s favorite day of the year was Christmas and each year the family’s living room was filled from floor to ceiling with an incredible number of gifts. Dan insisted on wrapping every single gift – including the largest ones like couches and refrigerators, which always made the family laugh. He prided himself on handing out one gift at a time, and often morning gift-opening would last several hours until dinner time. Dan always made sure to instill the importance of traditions, family, and togetherness in his children during Christmas time.
A hardworking man, Dan’s career included jobs at the mill, driving tractor trailers, and construction. Most recently he worked on nuclear power plants across the northeast. He felt lucky to work many of his recent assignments with his sons Brian and Brent. His meticulous and serious nature made him a trusted presence among fellow employees.
Dan’s passion for gardening went beyond a hobby, as it provided much of the fresh produce eaten by his family, friends, relatives and neighbors. His specialties included growing beautiful summer squash, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes, and pumpkins. When his children were growing up, he’d take them for rides down to the garden on his tractor to pick pumpkins for Halloween.
Dan was predeceased by his parents, brothers Guy, Lee, Leo, Don and twin daughters, Laura and Linda.
He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Luella, children Lisa, Brian, Bruce (Latisha), Brent (Erin), Brad (Caitlin), Lori (Nick), sisters Joyce Parker, Pat Moore, Joanne Childs, brother Tim Pease and 11 grandchildren, Kevin, Kelsey, Justin, Branden, Logan, Cody, Alexis, Chloe, Kaylee, Austin and Olivia. He is also survived by his three dogs, Buddy, Panda and Snooki.
His family will miss his love of tinkering in and outside of the house, working on carpentry projects, his willingness to help his family whenever they were in need and his impressive craftsmanship. His sons and son-in-law will especially miss enjoying a round of rum and cokes that Dan always prepared in his favorite teal plastic mugs.
A gathering of family and friends will take place at Wilton Lions Community Building (364 Main St. Wilton, ME 04294) from 5 – 8pm on Wednesday, March 30th. Those who desire may consider memorial donations in Dan's memory to a charity of their choice,
Memories may be shared in his Book of Memories at www.wilesrc.com. Interment later in the Sparing at Lakeview Cemetery in Wilton. Funeral services are being cared for and provided by the Wiles Remembrance Center of Farmington.