William Danforth Lennon Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

On Sunday, June 12, 2022, William Danforth Lennon, loving husband and father of three, passed unexpectedly at the age of 72. His heart failed him; it never failed others. Dan was born February 8, 1950, in Santa Monica, California, the fifth of twelve children, to Bill and Sis (Denning) Lennon. He graduated from Venice High School and UCLA, ultimately earning a master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language. Dan retired in 2018 as Director of Missouri Division of Tourism and enjoyed the next four years reading voluminously, developing his skill as a chef, and perfecting the arts of chopping wood and carrying water with equanimity. Dan will be remembered as a trustworthy colleague and a supportive mentor and boss. Over his lifetime, he worked in many fields -- his favorites involved collaboration with his beloved siblings. He was an owner and master furniture finisher alongside his brothers Pat, Bill, and Joe, of Venice Restorations. He enjoyed several years managing the Lennon Sisters. The greatest joy of his work life was the ten years he spent performing swing music with the Lennon Brothers and Gail Lennon in Branson, Mo. On August 26, 1979, he married Virginia Mathews. In their more than 42 years as spouses, partners, and best friends, together they adored three children: Samuel Ivan, Emma Kathleen, and Noah Alexander. In Dan’s life, he traveled extensively, spending a year exploring Europe as a new college graduate, and another year teaching English in Beijing, China with his wife, Ginny. He visited myriad countries, including the UK, Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Mexico, Canada, and Iceland. His drive to learn about and immerse himself in people and cultures around the globe was interrupted by his untimely passing. Dan was an astounding athlete beginning in Little League and Pop Warner. He was All-City in both sports, and his run as high school quarterback included records that remained unchallenged for 30 years. He played on a football scholarship at UC Santa Barbara before relocating to UCLA at 19 when he was urgently needed by his family after his father’s death to take up the mantle of raising his six younger siblings, an impossible task that he knocked out of the park. Dan had an unfailing ability to take life’s worst tragedies and bring forth something resembling lemonade. After the death of his first-born son, Sam, he turned to running, completing seven marathons, the last of which was Big Sur when he was 64. When his knees could no longer keep up with him, he refocused his love for outdoor activity on hiking, completing a Grand Canyon rim-to-rim with Ginny and a hike along the Appalachian Trail. Accordingly, he spent his last day biking sixteen miles with his partners in crime, Ginny, Dottie, and Rosie. He was a prolific writer and a voracious reader, burning through several books each week, often focused on history and politics. He had a special interest in World War II and anti-racism. He also loved a good novel, most recently devouring the works of Elizabeth Strout. His uncanny ability to retain what he read enabled him to serve as a living encyclopedia to those around him, from simply recalling facts like the capital of St. Kitts and Nevis to being able to explain in detail the broad sweep of historical unfoldings that have brought about today’s tragic events in Lebanon – two specific examples from last week. He said that he read to better understand the human experience and to make himself a more helpful companion. Dan was a crashing wave of kindness and magnanimity -- a nurturing soul loved deeply by all who knew him. He created a space of pure happiness and warmth that energized the room. He appreciated his great fortune in being a part of the expansive, loving Lennon Family. He will always be revered by his friends and relatives, his wife, his two living children and their spouses, ten siblings, twenty-three siblings-in-law, fifty-nine first cousins, six godchildren, and innumerable friends and relatives. To think about Dan is to laugh. He was forever sharing his infectious joy and was uniquely present to those around him. When you were with Dan his mind was never elsewhere. His generosity of heart was demonstrated by his many roles – voluntary neighborhood handyman, eager and accessible mentor, and professional hugger. Dan was a man of routine from an understanding that an orderly life brings about contentment. He was both utterly unreligious and astoundingly spiritually evolved. Dan was a sentimental person because he knew that tears are just as important as laughter, accepting the sad evanescence of life as a very important part of being a conscious human. He will be remembered as a man who enjoyed both participating in and supporting the arts – writing, cooking, teaching, painting, sculpture, music, dance, theatre, cinema, and heartfelt performances of all kinds. He was the best brother and friend -- someone you could count on, a source of knowledge, a goofy pal to laugh with, and a safe harbor in any storm. Dan gave every ounce of devotion to his family. He had boundless pride in Emma and Noah and their spouses, Crispin Rea and Nandy Nittur, rejoicing in the fact that he had passed along his natural delight in living. Following in his father’s footsteps, he will without a doubt be forever present as a brilliant Grandpa to his as-yet-unknown weasels. He was a giant in the lives of all his brothers and sisters, in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and colleagues. He is preceded in death by his father Bill, his mother Sis, his sister Mary, his son Sam, his brothers-in-law Dick Cathcart, Bob Felt, and Al Mathews, and his nephews John and Joe Cathcart, as well as many other relatives. He is survived by his immediate family, Ginny, Emma, Crispin, Noah, Nandy, Lucy, Indie, Zaya, and Beyonce and his siblings Dee Dee, Peggy, Kathy, Janet, Pat, Bill, Mimi, Joe, Annie, Kipp, and their loves and children, as well as many other relatives. Dan built whole-hearted relationships wherever he went; therefore, services will be held in three communities that call him their own, Los Angeles, California; Branson, Missouri; and Columbia, Missouri. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to one of Dan’s favorite non-profits, the Equal Justice Initiative (www.eji.org), whose mission is to end mass incarceration, excessive punishment, and racial inequality, or Ragtag Film Society, which exists to captivate and engage communities in immersive arts experiences that explore assumptions and elicit shared joy, wonder, and introspection (https://ragtagcinema.org/support/donate/).

William Danforth Lennon

February 8, 1950 - June 12, 2022