Born and raised in the Bulkley Valley, Dan Small spent much of his youth running, hunting, fishing, exploring, and working on green chains. After a particularly wet year, he abandoned his plan to open a sawmill and went to Vancouver to study commerce and law at UBC. He met his wife there in 1958 and they married four years later. Dan practiced corporate law in Vancouver for three decades before retiring. He spent time with family, especially his young grandsons, then acquired a small business which he ran until 2013.
Dan will be remembered for going on adventures and family road trips, the ability to find his way without a map, walks in the forest, his colorful expressions, a keen interest in gadgets and technology, his love of all children, the many opportunities he provided his own children, his generosity, his quiet faith, and his discreet charitable activities.
Dan was preceded in death by his parents Daniel and Elizabeth (Bartmanovich) Small and siblings Connie, Bob, and Marianne. He is survived by his beloved wife Irene, his sister Barbara, his children Dan, Marjorie (Richard), Susan (Oscar), and Anthony, seven grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
A funeral mass will be celebrated by Fr. Anthony Ho at St. John the Apostle Parish, 5457 Trafalgar Street, Vancouver on September 21, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. Burial will follow at the Gardens of Gethsemani, Surrey.
Eternal rest, grant to him, O Lord, and let eternal light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.Smithers