I met Dana and Jaci at a Toastmaster Meeting at Terminal Island Prison about 30 years ago.  We became friends quickly and our friendship has endured ever since.  We always stayed in contact.  We were the same age. We'd visit each other frequently, even during my years in New Orleans.     Dana was simply one of the greatest men I have ever known.  He was always able to bounce his medical questions off me, because I am a physician.

Here's one funny story..

 One of the most interesting things we did was when he and I went to  the Notre Dame vs USC Football game at the Coliseum.  While I was driving to the game, Dana was giving me driving directions.  I was the one who could see, and I was lost, but Dana knew all the streets and where to turn, even though he couldn't see.  Dana was amazing!

Dana and I worked together at the Century Freeway Housing Program in Inglewood in the mid-1980s. He was the staff attorney and I was a housing project manager. Since this was before personal computers became ubiquitous, he relied on a loyal assistant, CB,  who would read documents to him and type his narrated work products! Dana was quite a crossword puzzle enthusiast and he loved to do needlepoint. He made me a needlepoint with my name, "Leslie K," which I still have, nearly 40 years later! Over the subsequent years, I saw him a few times during his visits to Honolulu (my home, where I moved back to in 1986). Dana was an amazing person who enriched the lives of so many.  Condolences to his family and friends.

Leslie Kurisaki Guillermo, Honolulu, Hawaii

I first met Dana when he was a speaker at one of our Optimist Pacific Southwest District Meetings. He told us his story of how he became blind and that his circumstances did not stop him from doing what he wanted to do. His speech was about being positive and how we could encourage and inspire others.  One of Dana's words to remember was the power of Excellence. He captivate his audience with the power of  his words. Dana was not only a great speaker, but he was an inspiration to those who heard him speak. He is someone you meet in a lifetime and you are grateful for his presence. He and I  became good friends over the years. I will truly miss him and his words of wisdom. My prayers go out to Erika and Dana's family knowing that God will give them the strength they need during this time of sorrow.  Carol Morack, Past Governor of Pacific Southwest District

We’ve known Dana most of our lives. As a young man in the 1970s and 1980s, we appreciated his respect for studying and teaching the Word of God at Trinity Chapel. Many years later, earlier this year,  Dana invited us to attend his and Erica’s Heaven Is Here Bible Study on Zoom. To see Dana’s zeal as he reconnected with Scripture blessed us tremendously. Dana encouraged viewing challenging life questions through a biblical lens. He was always up for those deep discussions. 

We will miss Dana.

Peace and Blessings,

Frank and Lisa Dodson