Services will be held at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, January 31, 2026, at Gibson – Bode Funeral Home, Erie. Visitation will be 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., prior to the service at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Erie Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Erie Fire Department.
Dan was born April 12, 1947, in Spokane, WA, the son of Ray H. and Patricia (Hepfer) Rick. He began his schooling in Prophetstown and graduated from Erie High School in 1965. Following graduation he married Bette Schaeffer in Erie. He went on to further his studies and received an Associate’s degree in Ag Business at Joliet Junior College. He took his first position as a Sales Representative for Whiteside FS in Lyndon, then for Monsanto where he served Northwest Illinois. Dan spent the last 30 years of his career as the Manager of the Hooppole division of Atkinson Grain and Fertilizer, retiring in 2017.
He loved the outdoors, gardening and working in the yard. He loved vacations to Minocqua, WI, snowmobiling in the winter and the traditional annual summer family vacations to Blue Lake in Minocqua. He spent endless hours pulling the kids behind his boat. Dan and Bette enjoyed traveling, taking cruises and skiing out west. He also designed and built a large cooker for cooking meats for many graduations and large groups.
Dan is survived by his wife, Bette; children, Angela (Brian) Brooks, Erie, Danelle (Chris) Mattmiller, Oshkosh, WI; grandchildren, Tyler (Ariel) Brooks, Tanner (Keli) Brooks, Brianna (Jace) Deering, Bret Luft; great grandchildren, Gracelyn Brooks, Palmer Brooks, Emersyn Deering; sisters, Diane (Larry) Ford, Prophetstown, IL; and brother-in-law, Ron Vail. He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters-in-law, Clarice Clark, Linda (Bill) Brinkman, and Janet Vail.
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