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IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Daniel H.

Daniel H. Van Auken Profile Photo

Van Auken

Nov 6, 1953 — Aug 19, 2022

Largo

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Obituary

Daniel H. Van Auken of Largo, Fla., passed away on Friday, Aug. 19, 2022, at the age of 68, at the end of a long battle against illness. He is survived by his beloved daughter Emily Rose Van Auken (Knoxville, Tenn.), sister Helen Cooley and her husband Bert (Ithaca, N.Y), brothers Robert Van Auken and wife Debbie (Cortland, N.Y.), Joel Van Auken and wife Corie (Hudson, Fla.), Benjamin Harry Van Auken and wife Teri (St. Petersburg, Fla.), Calvin Van Auken and wife Pamela (Seminole, Fla.), and Lance Van Auken and wife Robin (Bokeelia, Fla.). His sister, Molly, passed away in 2018.

Danny was born on Nov. 6, 1953, to the late Robert D. Van Auken and Ruth Huhtanen Van Auken, in Painesville, Ohio. The Van Auken family moved to Florida in 1955, eventually settling in Largo.
An outstanding multi-sport athlete, Danny played Little League Baseball at Cross Bayou Little League in Largo, a league co-founded by his father. He went on to star in baseball, track and field, and basketball, at Seminole High School, from which he graduated in 1971.
While attending college, he was drafted by the Cleveland Indians and played professional baseball for two years when his career was cut short by a serious auto accident. On his professional baseball biography questionnaire, he listed his hobbies as "Cars and Girls," and said his most memorable baseball moment to that point was "Pitching a no-hitter in a Little League All-Star Game."
After his athletic career ended, Danny went on to a long and successful career in building construction and carpentry. He married the former Cherie Haupt in 1997. Their daughter, Emily Rose, recently graduated from the University of Tennessee with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Patricia Downing Angel, Danny's former partner and lifelong friend, is Emily's godmother.
Danny was a member of the congregation at Bay Pines Lutheran Church, Seminole, Fla., (Pastor Jesse Stern), serving as an usher. In recent years, Danny was a resident of HarbourWood Care Center in Clearwater. The family wishes to thank the staff at Harbourwood for its care.
For all who knew Danny, he was a faithful friend. He leaves family and friends with wonderful memories of a life marked by unflinching generosity and kindness. Until his mental and physical health went into decline, he could be counted on to step up in any way to make other's lives better.
To say he will be missed is a vast understatement.
Arrangements are being made by Mohn Funeral Home, Seminole, Fla.  A memorial service is being planned.
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