Dan Moran, 79, of Madison, died Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017, at the Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls.
Mass of Christian Burial was 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 9, at St. Wilfrid Catholic Church in Woonsocket. Visitation was from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 8, also at the church, and continuded one hour prior to the Mass on Wednesday. Burial was in St. Wilfrid Cemetery with military honors.
Daniel Joseph was born Jan. 2, 1938, in Woonsocket, to Francis “Red” and Bertha (Ritter) Moran. He was one of thirteen children and grew up in Woonsocket, where he attended Saint Joseph Catholic School and then Woonsocket Public School. He excelled in athletics and other extracurricular activities. Dan was proud to be one of the Woonsocket Redmen. Following his high school graduation, even though he was recruited by several colleges and universities to play three different sports, he joined the United States Marine Corps. He was a radio operator, qualified as an expert marksman, and became a rifle-range instructor. After being honorably discharged, he returned home to South Dakota to pursue a college degree and played football and basketball at the college level. He later earned a PhD in Family Counseling.
Dan married his high school sweetheart, Trudy Schlicht, and together they raised their four children: Kelly (Mark) Sullivan of Madison, Colleen Moran (Monty Christensen) of Hartford, Darbie Moran of Sioux Falls, and Michael (Stephanie) Moran of Newton, Iowa. Dan’s life was further blessed with eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Dan served as an educator, administrator, counselor and coach in South Dakota for many years. In June of 2016, Dan was inducted into the National High School Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame. Among other honors, he was inducted into the South Dakota Coaches Hall of Fame, South Dakota Coaches Hall of Shrine, and was twice named South Dakota High School Basketball Coach of the Year, but he clearly felt most honored to teach and coach all four of his children.
Dan is survived by his wife, Trudy; all of their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren; his brother, James Moran of Woonsocket; sisters, Cecilia (Leon) Williams of Columbus, Neb., Patricia (Larry) Borgerding of Rolla, Mo., Mary Carol (Dennis) Gere of Pierre, and Lynn Moran and Geraldine Moran, both of Mitchell; many nieces and nephews; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law; and numerous friends, students and athletes.
He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers, Mathew, Larry and Tom; three sisters, Rose Marie, Margaret and Lea Jane; in-laws, Bob and Dorothy Schlicht; two sisters-in-law, Beverly Moran and Donna Moran; and two brothers-in-law, Norman Rogers and Carney Nelson.