Obituary of Durward Lawrence Severance

Durward joined his wife and two daughters, Patricia and Nadia in heaven on May 29, 2018. He was born in Passadumkaeg, Maine on Feb. 24, 1934 to Frank and Annie Severance, the next to the youngest of 12 children. Growing up in the North Maine woods he really enjoyed camping, fishing, and hunting.

 He was a keen woodsman and loved to tell stories of his father working in the logging camps. He was a warm and caring son, a loving brother, considerate friend, strong talented athlete, dedicated worker, skillful hunter, fisherman, and a very loving father to his children. He could make a canoe glide smoothly on the water without making a sound.  He would tell many stories of flying into Rainbow Lake, ice fishing in the dead of winter, hunting partridge as a young boy for his mother, and cutting fiddleheads to eat with moose meat.

He grew up in Passadumkaeg and then early in his high school years he lived with his older sister Hope and her husband “Bud” so he could play basketball.  Dan loved to play basketball and was coached by his brother-in-law Bud. He graduated from Medway High School in 1951 and at the age of 18, on Nov. 8, 1952, he married his high school sweetheart, MaryEllen Sheehan. They were married over 60 years when MaryEllen passed away in May 2013. He was a calm, devoted, and committed husband. Dan and MaryEllen had 7 children. Patricia, Nadia, Charles, Craig, BethEllen, Martha, and Monica. They had  16 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by two of his grandchildren, William Patrick Hoerner and Philip Raymond Sloan.

While living in East Millinocket, Maine and raising his family, Dan worked at the Great Northern Paper Company while also working as a groundskeeper at the local cemetery. He belonged to the JC’s of East Millinocket, he was a volunteer fireman and on their search and rescue team, as well as a reserve police officer.  In 1969 the family moved to Tucson, Arizona where he worked in a copper mine for Duvall until moving to Santa Clara, California in 1973. Dan worked for Varian Associates in Palo Alto for 20 years and then he and MaryEllen made their last move at the beginning of 1996 when they settled in Biggs, California. After a few years of retirement Dan worked as a security guard for Sunset Moulding in Live Oak, California.

Dad “Dan” will be going home to Maine to be near his family and the places he loved. Our lives are so much richer for having known and loved this wonderful man and father of ours.

Arrangements entrusted to Gridley-Block Funeral Chapel, 530-846-2138.