Daniel "Dan" Pitala
February 27, 1959 ~ November 28, 2021
Age 62 of Chisago City. Loving husband, dad, brother & son passed away peacefully on November 28, 2021.
Dan was never alone. He spent his life surrounded by people. Breakfasts with the guys, dinner with family, golfing with his brother, trips around the world with his wife, passing on his hands-on knowledge to his daughter. Even when everyone else was tired, he would make new friends at the poker table. He made friends easily because he was easy to like. When people asked how he was, he would say “I’m better than you can possibly imagine!” in a way that made them smile. Anywhere he went, he would find someone he knew and someone he wanted to get to know.
He was a fountain of knowledge and a teller of tall tales. You never really knew how much of a story was true and how much was added for embellishment, but every word was filled with excitement and importance.
Whether he was helping the kids get into trouble or creating a fireworks show the whole lake could see, he loved hosting parties. He could grill enough to feed an army and invite enough people to eat it all. “Captain Dan” would share his love of the water by taking friends and family on his boat. If he made you flip off the tube, you knew you were family.
He loved his family more than anything. In return, Dan was the center of their world. Every niece and nephew was his favorite and they knew it. He opened up the world for his wife and, together, they created a new one for their daughter. He brought them experiences and joy that only he could share.
Dan showed his love with parties and we want to show him we love him in the same way, when the time is right. Next summer there will be a celebration at the lake house he so loved. There we can all get together and remember a man we’ll never forget.
Survived by loving wife, Sharon; daughter, Serena (Dan) Shuman; parents, Edward & Patricia, siblings, Mike (Susan), Sheri (John) Vierling; many “favorite” nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters in-law, other relatives & friends.
A celebration of Dan’s life 2-6 PM Saturday, December 4th at Roberts Family Funeral Home, Forest Lake. A final toast livestream will be held 5:00 – 6:00 PM Saturday, December 4th. Memorials preferred to the Scandia-Marine Lions Club, P.O. Box 151, Scandia, MN 55073. To attend in person, we ask that you be vaccinated against COVID or have a negative test within 72 hours. All attendees will need to wear a mask. The final toast will be livestreamed here: https://view.oneroomstreaming.com/authorise.php?k=1638326680151205
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Friendship and lifetime of great memories.
Please accept our most heartfelt sympathies for your loss… Our thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.
My most sincere condolences to the Pitala family. I worked with Dan for several years in Oklahoma, and his obituary described him perfectly! A wealth of knowledge, and ability to always make you feel welcome in any setting. . . at work, at the casino, or enjoying a meal together. . . .and I certainly chuckled when I read “I’m better than you can possibly imagine!”. I heard that many times as I walked into his office to discuss any one of a number of difficult situations. He always had that smile on his face! My thoughts and prayers are with his family during this difficult time, you have lost an outstanding and wonderful man. Regards, Brian Godfrey.
My Condolences. . . .so sorry for your loss. I will always remember Dan fondly, and he will be missed. Brian Godfrey
Gone too soon my friend. We’ll miss you. Thanks for the memories!
We are so sorry to hear this. Condolences to all the Pitalas we know and love. Ken and Lori Thompson
Our collective thoughts and prayers are with the Pitala family, friends and co-workers. May you all find peace and comfort.
Peace, Prayers and Blessings,
We will always remember the travel stories and the great boat ride from Captain Dan. Our thoughts are with you.
Our deepest condolences to Sharon and the entire Pitala family. I still remember my first meeting with Dan when I came to PEC. My initial thought was, ‘this leader is not going to be easy to work with.’ I couldn’t have been more off base! By the second and third meeting, I quickly learned that the gruff exterior he showed me on Day 1 was paper thin and what was below the surface, was all heart! He will be greatly missed but always remembered. -Tamra and Rick Anderson
I met Dan in 1999 on a project in Shakopee, and we ‘clicked’ when it came to understanding on how to meet the Customer’s needs. We will miss him.
Please accept our most heartfelt sympathies for your loss… Our thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Sharon and the family. Dan will be missed by all. I had the opportunity to work with Dan for over 27 years at Parsons Electric and truly appreciate the times we worked together on projects in the field and office. He was always willing to help out, answer a question, or offer advice. And as most people know, Dan was a big Vikings fan and me a Packer fan so we would have a lot of fun bantering back and forth each week. I was able to find and post a few pictures of Dan at some of the company events we held over the years
I had the opportunity to travel with Dan to Ireland 2x and found these photos from those trips…many of you may recognize some of the guys in these shots. No surprise, Dan won the award for heaviest golf bag according to the caddies in Ireland. May you rest in peace. -Tom Brown and the Ireland Crew
So sorry for your loss. Dan was always generous and fun to be around.
May these flowers serve as an expression of our deepest condolences.
With heartfelt condolences,
No matter how tense the situation was, Dan always kept his cool and handled everything with kindness and care. I really enjoyed getting to know Dan as well as learn from him how to be a better leader. I will miss you buddy. Swanny
Our sincere sympathies.
It is hard to express the gratitude and the respect that Parsons Electric and all of our employees have for Dan. He was tirelessly dedicated to doing his very best and that was a level of performance most dreamed about. He seemed to give that same level of doing great to everything he was a part of outside of work as well. We are dearly grateful and pray for Sharon, Serena, Dan S. and the entire Pitala family. May God bless the fond memories and provide you all comfort.
My condolences to Sharon and to the entire family. Remembering Dan fondly as he was a long-time travel client of mine. This photo is of us last year in Mexico at a resort during the “silent party” at the disco. He was a sweet man, and I will miss him! Keta Lindstrom
Dan was an icon, a leader, and such wonderful mentor and friend to so many of us. Reflecting on our work together, his passion and support for all of us was endless. Dan was always there and would work tirelessly to help if he could. The epicenter on bid day was in Dan’s office. You would often find the entire team gathered around a sea of monitors, open laptops, scattered plans, open pizza boxes, and a large plastic M&M figurine in the corner just to add a bit of levity. Dan had a way of bringing calm and humor to every situation. Those of us who knew him best, knew he may not have had all the answers, but boy was he good at convincing everyone that he did! Dan was one-of-a-kind. Thoughts and prayers to you Sharon, Serena and the whole Pitala family.