Daniel Hunt Girdner Jr.

Daniel Hunt Girdner, Jr., 84 year old long time Yreka resident and business man, passed away peacefully on Tuesday afternoon, December 29, 2015 at his home surrounded by his family. Dan was born in Red Bluff December 9, 1931 to Della and Daniel Girdner. His paternal great grandparents were early day Shasta County settlers and cattle ranchers in the Millville area. He came to Yreka with his parents in January, 1943, after his father, having had a position with McDonald’s Chapel in Redding, had purchased an interest in Bills and Burton Funeral Home and thus began Girdner Funeral Chapel, now in its fourth generation serving Siskiyou County families. Dan graduated from Yreka High School with the class of 1950 and received his B.A. degree from Stanford University in 1954. He remained a faithful and loyal Stanford alumnus (go Indians!!) and was a life-long member of the Stanford Alumni Association. After college his father asked that he join him in the family mortuary and he devoted some 40 years to the profession. During that time he served as Yreka Rotary Club’s president (a club his father had helped found in Yreka and had served as its first president), was active, in the 1960s, in the U.S. Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees), during which time he helped the organization build Discovery Park. He served some 11 years on the Yreka Elementary School Board, was treasurer of Hawkinsville Hall Assoc., and was a charter member of Yreka Lodge No. 1980, B.P.O.Elks. He was a member of Red Scarf Society, and had served on the board of United Scholarships, Inc., almost since its inception in 1964. He was also a founding board member of Madrone Hospice and a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church. On April 23, 1960, in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church he married Miss June Solus, who survives. The couple raised five children who also survive: Gregory Girdner (Jeanne), Danna Ayers (Bob), Christopher Jon Girdner (Jackie), Jennifer Ann Copeland (Bennett), and Scott Girdner (Sandra). He also leaves grandchildren, William and Robert (Cicily) Girdner, Robert Christopher and Caleb Ayers, Treyden (Laurel) and Terah and Annie Girdner, Clayton and Colton Copeland and Nathan and Grace Girdner. He also leaves his sister, Gloria Castellano of Medford, numerous cousins and nieces and nephews. His first great granddaughter is due in early February! In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his niece, Andrea Castellano. He and June were active RVers, after retirement, enjoying their time with several RV clubs. They had traveled to Canada and New England and enjoyed saying that they had RVed to Cabo San Lucas and back twice. In later life they were able to cruise to Rome, Greece and Egypt and to Alaska. They also traveled to the Azore Islands where June’s ancestry traces back to. Dan enjoyed reading, loved crossword puzzles and was an avid Jeopardy fan. He thought it important to expose his children to the fine arts and encourage them to have an appreciation for music. This included trips to plays and musicals in San Francisco and Ashland. The Rosary will be recited on Monday evening, January 4th, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. followed by a visitation. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Tuesday, January 5th, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Yreka. Following the Mass, he will be laid to rest in the Girdner family plot of Evergreen Cemetery. A permanent scholarship in Dan’s name will be established at United Scholarships, Inc. and for those wishing to do so, memorial contributions may be made to that organization at P.O. Box 1328, Yreka, CA 96097 in his name, or to the charity of one’s choice.

Daniel Hunt Girdner Jr.

December 9, 1931 - December 29, 2015