Daniel Patrick McLoughlin III

Dan would come running when a family member needed help. He was known for his sense of humor, his caring, and his adorable smile. A gentle giant nicknamed “Tiny” and “Big D,” he was unafraid to show emotion.

Dan loved flying and got his private pilot license while at Lane Community College, which he attended after graduating from The Dalles High School in 1981. He also loved RC planes and had a menagerie of them in various stages of repair in the garage.

Dan was a natural athlete who batted cleanup in Little League and Babe Ruth, was MVP on his golf team, and won many “Punt, Pass, Kick” trophies, once earning a trip to a regional competition at the Seattle Kingdome.

He was a hands-on father and experienced babysitter who showed Neita the ropes of changing a diaper when they brought their firstborn home from the hospital. When the kids were little, and even not so little, they loved to cuddle with their daddy.

The yearly beach trips Dan took as a kid were a continued tradition with his own family, and Dan never failed to tell his wife and kids about the time he and his dad and cousin overturned in their fishing boat at the Barview Jetty at the mouth of Tillamook Bay and nearly drowned. His cousin swore off boating, but Dan went on to buy his own boat, and loved taking the extended family out on excursions.

When Colin was old enough, Dan began taking him on a yearly jaunt that included a Mariners game, a Boeing Museum visit, and deep-sea fishing.

Before aches and pains slowed him down, Dan loved planting flowers and tending to his yard, a trait he picked up from his grandfather and his mother.

He related deeply to music, often talking about how certain songs reminded him of certain times in his life. He loved to attend concerts and some ticket stubs earned a place of honor in his wallet.

He graduated from St. Mary’s Academy in The Dalles and was proud that his Aunt Mary Geraghty was in the last class to graduate from St. Mary’s in 1956 when it still had a high school.

Dan loved hunting and camping and had many stories from both. As a kid, he camped every summer with his extended family at Takhlakh Lake on Mt. Adams. With his own family, he camped at Lost Lake and Tollbridge Park.

Dan loved Star Trek, which made him easy to shop for. He watched all the series, but his first love was the original, and he often could be found watching an episode from those first seasons.

Dan was born April 4, 1963, in The Dalles, the third of four children to Pat and Claudette McLoughlin. He would go on to become the third generation to help run the family business, Wasco Title, Inc.

Community involvement was important to Dan and he belonged to Kiwanis, serving as president and helping out each year at the Steak Feed and with bell ringing. He also held leadership positions in the Oregon Land Title Association.

He was preceded in death by his father, Pat. He is survived by his wife and children; his mother, Claudette; sisters Kathy McLoughlin, Laurie (Chris) Bloniarz, and Sue (Fred) Bergren, all of The Dalles; Aunt Mary Geraghty of Bellevue, Wash., uncle and aunt Doug and Olwynne Gleason of The Woodlands, Texas; nieces Emily Bloniarz and her boyfriend Tyler Campbell of The Dalles, USAF Capt. Melissa Cecil of Las Vegas, Nev., and Dr. Katie Cecil of Huntington Beach, Calif.; mother-in-law Mary Ellen Kavanagh of Vancouver, Wash.; brothers-in-law Gary Cecil (Tracy) of Vancouver, Wash., and Jeff (Anh) Cecil of Huntington Beach; and numerous cousins.

A celebration of life is planned for July 13, with venue and time announced later.