On Wednesday, November 24, 2021, Daniel Albert Leieritz, aged 47, passed away at Kindred Hospital surrounded by family.

Dan was born in Long Beach, California to Dottie Pierce and Leroy Leieritz on February 6, 1974. While studying chemistry at the University of Arizona, he discovered a passion for political science that introduced him to the love of his life, Susan. They married in December of 1997 before having three daughters, Mei, Brixley, and Hanae.

Throughout his life, Dan was many things- a fisher and a financial manager, a water-skier and a brewer, an investor and a fantastic cook, and above all, a proud stay-at-home father and husband.

He supported his family’s every ambition and enabled every adventure. This began before he even married Susan, when he followed her whims to Mexico. His support for Susan never faltered, attending her Stanford classes while she recovered from childbirth, picking the kids up from school while she studied for her education degree, and helping her to launch her quilting business just this year. When Mei said she wanted to travel the world instead of taking a full-time job straight out of college, his only question was “how do we get you there?” When she eventually took a full-time job as a travel agent, his only question was “is this going to get you where you want to go?” Once she grew to hate that full-time job he said “we’ll get there” and offered to pay for bartending school. He fostered his daughters’ passions to no end, encouraging Hanae to restart her college career in order to pursue her love of architecture, and paving connections for Brixley to obtain specialty hospital internships.  

Dan derived the greatest pleasure from cooking and from making others happy. He introduced a tradition of Sunday dinners to the family: a time when he could share his gift with those that he loved in a language that he spoke better than anyone- food. A meal by Dan could cure anything, and he lives on the palates of countless people because of it.

Dan’s hallmark features were his resilience, his patience, and his consideration, which were all manifest in how he engaged with his health. When he was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome 12 years ago, his diagnosis predicted he would not make it past forty. He lived eight years longer than that estimate before eventually succumbing to a two-month battle with pneumonia, which he fought with his usual ferocity. Despite the physical toll of his various health treatments over the years, he was consistently there for his family - cooking meals for them, folding their laundry, fixing their cars, and talking them through difficult times. 

Anyone who knew Dan knew that he was truly the greatest husband and father a family could ask for. He provided steadfast guidance and wisdom as his daughters grew up, and always had a way to make them laugh.

Dan was predeceased by his father, Leroy Leieritz. He is survived by his wife Susan, his daughters Mei, Brixley, and Hanae, his mother Dottie, and his sister Lisa.  The family requests that all flowers and notes are sent to their home. There will be a memorial service in Denver in late December.

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