Melvin Philip Danner

Melvin Philip Danner passed away peacefully about 5 a.m. on Friday, April 13th 2012 comforted by loving family. Melvin, 90, was born on a farm near Maple River, Carroll County, Iowa and moved to Portland, Oregon as a teenager. He proudly served as a Radioman Third Class in the U.S. Navy during WWII and received an honorable discharge in 1945. After the war, he lived in Spokane for the remainder of his life. He married Dorothy Danner and they raised four children together. He completed his GED in the 1960s. He worshiped at Messiah Lutheran Church during the 1960s and 1970s and later at Berean Bible Church in the Spokane Valley. Melvin loved to build and repair things. He worked at the Gerber knife factory in Portland and later became a carpenter by trade. He was a long time member of the Carpenters Union Local 59 (then Local 98.) His work lives on in many buildings and schools around Spokane. He became well known for his precise Formica countertop installations, and he completed his career often being sought for that type of finish work. He was a member of the Independent Order of Foresters and worked on award winning Forester floats for Spokane parades during the 1950s and 1960s. He enjoyed dancing in his later years and attended dances at most of the area Senior Centers. Neighbors will remember him into his mid-80s walking two miles every day through the Shadle Park area. He liked to sing and would sing songs for people and his care givers. He is survived by his loving family: son Dennis Danner (and his wife Pam), son Chuck Danner, daughter Patricia Danner, stepson Richard Bristol, three grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and a niece and her family. Memorial services will be held at Ball and Dodd funeral home, 5100 W. Wellesley on Saturday, May 12th at 1 p.m.