Obituary of Daniel Duane Witt

Daniel Duane Witt

July 23, 1948, to June 13th, 2020

 

Dan was born on July 23, 1948, to Nonna and Althe Witt in Renton, WA.  During the very early years, the family lived in Buckley, Federal Way, and Kent, WA. His father worked for Pacific Northwest Bell and was transferred to Portland when Dan was 7 years old. Dan attended Irvington Grade School and graduated from Grant High School in 1966. He enlisted in the Oregon Anny National Guard in 1967 and attended Basic and AIT at Fort Ord, CA with MOS training as a Personnel Specialist. He later transferred to the U.S. Anny Reserve in Vancouver, WA. Starting in 1966 Dan attended Portland Community College and then attended Portland State University graduating in 1972 with a Bachelor's Degree in History. In 1980 Dan started his law enforcement career as a Reserve Deputy with the Marion County Sheriffs Office. He was hired full time as an Enforcement Deputy in 1982 and enjoyed a 29-year career as a full-time Deputy Sheriff. He continued working part-time in the Judicial Security Unit after retirement. During his career, he worked Patrol, Criminal Investigation, and Narcotics. He ended his career in the Judicial Security Unit serving the Marion County Courts. Dan also traveled the United States extensively for training and numerous prisoner extraditions. He was awarded the Medal of Valor for an incident in 1988. Dan also served as a member of the Critical Incident Trauma Team after its initiation in 1989 and received numerous certificates and letters from law enforcement agencies and citizens commending him for his police service.

Dan was a member of the Keizer Elks and held several officer positions in the Lodge. In 2002-2003 he served as Keizer Elks Exalted Ruler. Dan also belongs to Morning Star Community Church in Salem.

While attending Portland Community College Dan met Jan Miller. They were together through college and married in 1974. The marriage to Jan ended in 1984. In 1988 he married Sarah Moore and divorced in 1992. He married Brenda Hari Kuenzi in 1995. Dan is survived by Brenda, and her daughter Kelli Kuenzi, his brother Rick (Linda­ Lakeside, CA), and his sister Shari Grier (Mark-Newberg, OR). There will be no service or remembrance at Dan's request. At Dan's request, any donations made are to

 

 

OHSU Oncology

ELKS NATIONAL FOUNDATION

MORNING STAR CHURCH BENEVOLENCE FUND

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