I’m honored to share the life of a cherished friend and client, Dan Dressel, who died October 1 at the young age of 61.

For the last three years, Dan faced extraordinary medical challenges – meeting each one with grace and determination. He endured a spinal cord injury in 2022 that left him paralyzed from the waist down – the result of a spontaneous hemorrhage on his spine that baffled doctors. Rebuilding his life, he lived a remarkably strong and vibrant life until recently – when he found himself in and out of the hospital battling infections and other complications. In the end, following weeks in the ICU and suffering a total shutdown of his kidneys, Dan gave his family the gift of time. He spent his last few days surrounded by his family, eating his favorite foods and watching his favorite team (Notre Dame), before God called him heavenward.

Dan grew up in Bexley and was a star athlete (basketball) and class valedictorian. At 6’4” he was a gentle giant with a warm smile and a big heart. He went to Notre Dame for his undergraduate degree and obtained his MBA from Duke – beginning a lifelong love of Notre Dame football and Duke basketball.

Dan met the love of his life, his wife Kim, while working in Chicago at Anderson Consulting (later Accenture). Though proud of his work, his greatest joy was his family – he and Kim have three grown daughters: Sarah, Andrea, and Emma. Dan and Kim built their family around their shared Christian faith, a strong community of Bexley friends, and their extended family. In recent years, after his consulting career, Dan owned a local UPS store, sang with the Harmony Project, and continued to play pickup basketball.

The Palmer and Dressel families were close friends through Bexley United Methodist Church. Dan’s parents and Mark’s and my parents sang together in the church choir and Dan and his sibs and Mark and I and our sibs were active in the church’s youth group. As I reflect on his life, I am so inspired by the way he lived his life and especially how he met his medical challenges – with great faith, courage and even joy. He lived his life investing in others and caring deeply for those around him. A wonderful husband, father, son, and friend, Dan lived with no regrets and cherished each day. We all can learn from his remarkable life, and I will miss him greatly.

May Dan’s life be a reminder to all of us of the brevity of this life and the importance of making each day count and leaving a legacy of love and impact. Thank you, Dan for your faithful witness to Christ and for living your life with such joy!