George "Dan" Daniel Lanphear
JANUARY 24, 1938 ~ MARCH 23, 2018 (AGE 80)
Dan Lanphear passed away on March 23, 2018 at the age of 80 surrounded by his loving family and friends. A graduate of West High School, Dan excelled in Football and Track & Field, holding the shot put record in the state of Wisconsin for many years. He went to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he was a local football hero. In 1959, he was selected for the All-American Football team and made television appearances on the Ed Sullivan and Perry Como shows. In 1960, he played in the Rose Bowl (Wisconsin Badgers vs Washington Huskies). He was inducted into the Madison Sports Hall of Fame in 1989 and the University of Wisconsin Sports Hall of Fame in 2010. Dan graduated from the UW with a degree in Business and later went on to play for the Houston Oilers winning an AFL championship in 1960.
After playing for the Houston Oilers, Dan took a sales manager position for SBC, a division of IBM (later known as Ceridian) in St. Louis. He transferred to the Chicago location in 1974 as Sales Manager, then Regional Manager developing a thriving branch which became the company's largest. Dan was a legend among his coworkers, from his business expertise to his encouragement of community among the employees. He made it a fun and productive place to work and he recognized the skills and equality of all. It was during his career with SBC that he met the love of his life, Alice, his wife of 28 years. Together they enjoyed trips to Hawaii and Florida and spending time with family and friends
He was a devoted father of his two daughters, Danya (Kenneth) and Andrea (Dana)from his first marriage to Ann Marie. He was proud of his artistic grandson and his musical granddaughter. Dan was also close to his younger brother, Charles. Dan was preceded in death by his parents, George and Margaret, and his youngest brother, Philip.
Dan was famous for his football achievements but to his family and friends he will be remembered for his witty sense of humor and his generosity to all.
Visitation will be Saturday, March 31st, from 10 AM until 2 PM at Davenport Family Funeral and Crematory, 941 Old Rand Rd., Lake Zurich, IL. His Celebration of Life luncheon immediately to follow visitation.
Dan passed due to complications related to Parkinson’s Disease. In Lieu of flowers, please send contributions to Michael J. Fox Parkinson’s Foundation at www.michaeljfox.org.
