Daniel W. Ulam Jr.

Daniel Whitney Ulam, VI. passed away peacefully Dec. 25, 2015. He was born on February 5, 1924, at home at 203 East 34th Street, Kansas City, Missouri, in the middle of a blizzard. When Dan was 10 days old, his mother packed him up and took the train to San Francisco to visit her sister. So began his lifelong joy of traveling. His brother, George, was two years younger. They lived about 4 blocks from school. Dan said that George would sometimes get involved in a fight with someone on the way home from school. So Dan would run home, change is clothes, and go back to finish he fight. The two brothers enjoyed each other very much and were especially close their entire lives. Dan graduated from Westport High School and entered junior college in the fall of 1942, but Uncle Sam had other plans for him. He was drafted into the Army in January 1943. He served 35 months in the South Pacific, starting in a MASH unit in New Guinea and completing his over seas service as a clerk for General McArthur's headquarters in Manila, Philippines. He was honorably discharged on December 26, 1945. (He never forgave the Army for holding him at Ft. Carson, CO until the day after Christmas.) Dan would eventually graduate with a B.S. from Avila after 11 years of night school. Following his Army service, Dan (along with his brother and two friends) joined the Navy Reserve at Olathe, KS and served an additional 4 years. On June 5, 1948, Dan married his sweetheart, Lois Ann Hampton. They were happily married for over 55 years prior to her passing. Although they never had children of their own, they loved being apart of the lives of their 10 nephews and nieces. Dan was a gifted teacher and taught court reporting at Kansas City Business College for 14 years. At one point in time, many of the court reporters in the Kansas City Court System had been his students. He left teaching and worked at TWA as a computer programmer in the payroll department. This was at a time where the IBM computer filled the entire room. He felt the Lord had given him the job with TWA because it enabled him to fulfill a dream he first had at age 9; he wanted to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro in Northern Tanzania. This is the highest peak in Africa at 19,321 feet. He trained two years for the trip and celebrated his 45th birthday by climbing that mountain. Dan went on to work as a computer operator for the regional data center for the Department of Health and Human Services. He retired on February 1, 1991, having worked there more than 10 years. Following Lois' death, the Lord gave Dan a second season of love. On May 14, 2005 he married LaVon DeGroff. They shared many of the same interests, including a love of travel, back packing, older cars and music. The Lord has granted them 10 special years together. In addition to his other interests, Dan especially loved classic cars including Packards and Buicks. He was a long time member and actively involved in the Buick Club of America and Mid-America Packards. Along with the enjoyment of beautiful cars and hours of roadtrips, these two clubs have provided special friendships for more than 30 years. Something you may not know about Dan is he had a beautifully trained tenor voice. He sang solos at area churches for many years and he had been a member of the Kansas City Chorus. Throughout his life, the fellowship of God's people was central to him. He loved his church family. When he was in New Guinea during the war, he never missed Sunday service, even though he had to walk 2 miles through the jungle to get there. The love, prayers, and support of family and friends has never been more deeply felt or appreciated than over the past 2 years. Dan had a long, very interesting life. He was an intelligent and interesting person, with a great sense of humor and fun, who enjoyed each day to the fullest. He was special to each of us and we will miss him in our lives. Dan would want you to know is that the most important decision in his entire life was when he asked the Lord, Jesus Christ to come into his heart. He first did this as a child, and rededicated his life to the Lord before he went into the Army at age 19. His personal relationship with the Lord was woven into the very fabric of his life and affected all of his decisions. It brought him peace and comfort, even to the end of his life. He is now resting in eternity with his Lord because of this vital decision. A visitation with family will be held at 1pm with Service at 2pm, both at Platte Woods United Methodist Church; 7310 NW Prairlie View Rd; Platte Woods, MO. Donations suggested to Crossroads Hospice or The Senior Adult Ministry at Platte Woods UMC. Fond memories and words of comfort may be shared at: www.CashattFamilyFunerals.com.

Daniel W. Ulam Jr.

February 5, 1924 - December 25, 2015