Tribute

Daniel James Penner was born on June 2, 1964 to Lydia Martha (nee Hooge) & Peter Henry Penner in Abbotsford, BC.

Danny was best known for his gentle nature, ready smile and his infamous brush cut. Growing up on the raspberry farms on Gladwin and Columbia Roads, you would find Danny playing outside with the animals and neighbour kids. As he grew his interests broadened to include music, cars, mechanics, and building furniture.

Dan was a very good singer and directed congregational singing when he was a young man, and sang duets with Walter Goertzen at his home church of Clearbrook MB. He also taught Sunday school and was a youth leader. He enjoyed singing in Concert Choir during his senior high school years.

In 1980 Dan was thrilled to buy his first car, a blue early 70’s Nova two-door. He loved that car and spoke of it often throughout his life. This was when his love of cars really took root. After high school Dan took a computer course and then applied at United Automotive in Burnaby, where he worked until 1990. He then moved over to Lordco. He was a knowledgeable Parts-Man who had a knack for remembering all his customers’ faces, names, phone numbers as well as an enormous amount of parts numbers.

Dan & Marianne Flaming were married February 11, 1989 and by 1997 had four young children. He enjoyed the years focusing on the kids, reading children’s novels out loud to them at bedtime. He enjoyed watching their sports and music activities, and taking them on many day trips to Whistler for mountain biking.

In 1999, Dan felt that he wanted to make a career change to a job where he felt he could make a difference. He decided to go back to UFV to study as a Registered Care Aide and began working casual at Menno and Tabor Homes. He soon began a full-time position at Tabor Home, where he enjoyed looking after seniors, and entertained his family at the dinner table with many hilarious work stories. Dan quickly became a much-loved Care Aide by both staff and residents and their families.

This was also the year he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, which became a liability he struggled with for the years to follow.

From 2003 to 2016 he also took on managing a chicken broiler farm while still working his full-time job at Tabor Home. He enjoyed the farm yet working 2 jobs was difficult, so he ensured that he took time out to camp in the RV trailer with his family and regularly drove the kids & their friends out to Whistler for a day of mountain biking. While the boys were biking, he would enjoy a hike on Tin Pants trail with his beloved Schnauzer pup “Jasper”, often doing numerous loops around the trail.

Before he knew it, his children were thriving, and Dan was incredibly proud of all of their accomplishments. The kids began finding their life partners and when it came to their weddings, no task was too much for him.

Dan was blessed to be ‘Opa’ to 3 grandchildren. He loved to carry them around as babies, reading them bedtime stories.

In September of 2022, Dan & Marianne decided to move to Sardis were they renovated a home to suit their needs and prepared to settle in for retirement.

In January 2024, Dan noticed that his appetite was decreasing and by the end of May he was feeling quite unwell. During this time, he decided that he wanted to retire from Tabor Home and in early July submitted his notice for retirement on August 31, 2024 after 24 years of service.

In mid-July, Dan was told tumors had been found. By August 1st he needed to be admitted to hospital where he was told he had Advanced Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer. On September 1st, he was hard to wake and it became obvious that his liver was failing. He passed that evening with Marianne and some of his family near.

Dan is predeceased by his parents Peter & Lydia Penner and his brother-law Ernie Flaming. He is survived by his sweetheart Marianne, his sons Joshua (Alyssa), Aaron (Jackie), Caleb (Rachel), and daughter Megan (Chance), 3 grandchildren Theodore, Jayda, & Claire, his sister Beverly (Ernie) Redekop, & nieces Kendra & Taegen and their families, as well as his in-law siblings Herman & Kaethe Flaming, John & Anne Flaming, Neta & Gord Gilbert, Annie & John Teichrieb, and Rosie Flaming and a large network of nephews & nieces who were all very special to him.