Silvester_Daniel_19 April, 1921
Daniel M. Silvester, 88, of Ogden, passed away May 2, 2009 after a courageous battle with cancer.
Dan was born in Plymouth, Utah on April 19, 1921, the tenth child of Fredrick and Alvira Bigler Silvester. He learned to work hard at a young age and as a teenager, he worked with the Civilian Conservation Corps at Topaz Mountain. Following that he went to work as a ranch hand for Browning Ranch. He spent many days reminiscing about how much he loved working on the ranch. At age 20, he made the choice to fight for his country in WW11, and enlisted in the U.S. Army. On November 17, 1943, he was wounded, losing his left arm. He received many awards during his time as a soldier, including the Purple Heart.
After recovering from his injury and returning to the states, he went to work for the government. Then on April 12, 1947, he married Twila Thomas in Elko, Nevada. He and his darling wife lead a fulfilling and active life together. They made a home in Ogden and raised 3 children. When not spending time with the grandchildren that he loved so much, he could be found in his shed or at the cutter races. Dan was a cutter race judge for many years and enjoyed all the friendships he made along the way. “Dan’s Castle”, his shed, was filled with more varieties of barbed wire than most people probably know existed. He was an avid collector for 38 years and was a member of the Northern Rocky Mountain Barbed Wire Collectors, Inc. He was a man that filled every moment of every day-spending many Tuesdays at the yards, cattle drives in the summer, the boys soccer games, or working in his beautiful yard.
Dan will be remembered for his heart of gold, his love of socializing, and his ability to make everyone in the room seem truly special. He will be greatly missed by all.
He is survived by his children, Suzanne (Robert) Durrant of Ogden, Judy (Bob) Cook of Ogden, Daniel Thomas (Marjean) Silvester of Ivins; 11 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Wendall Silvester, and his sister Leah Foster.
Special thanks to CNS Hospice, especially Robert. Your kind and caring ways made a bright spot in his last few weeks.
Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. on Friday, May 8, 2009 at Myers Evergreen Memorial Park, 100 Monroe Blvd. Friends may call on Thursday, May 7th at Myers Mortuary, 845 Washington Blvd., from 6 to 8 p.m. and Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.myers-mortuary.com.