Gilbertson Funeral Home and Cremation Service - Stanwood Obituary

How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. ~Winnie the Pooh If you were one of the lucky people to know Danny, our families hearts go out to you. Danny was a friend to everyone he met. It didn’t matter if it was an acquaintance, a coffee buddy, a co-worker, a longtime friend, or a homeowner at a garage sale. Connecting with people, enjoying a beer and a casual conversation brought him joy. He was a kind, generous, fun, loving, creative and showing-up-for-the- party person.

Danny was a hard worker all of his life, providing for his family and generously donating to those in need. He began work as a teenager at Ovenell Farms where he developed his strong work ethic and his fondness of heavy cream. He would go into the milk parlor and ladle the cream off the top of the milk and drink it. The Ovenell family extended a hand to Danny and the time working at the farm was significant in his life. His love for tractors and other heavy equipment grew. One year, when his daughters were young, he managed to convince himself that he was getting an actual dump truck for Christmas. A kid at heart, the disappointment when Santa didn’t deliver was real.

He had a mechanical mind and loved fast cars. Known for his Roadrunners, he would often be in the midst of some shenanigan involving burnouts near the fairgrounds or floor boarding it through downtown Stanwood once the location of ‘the’ cop was confirmed. In his early adult years, he worked for Travis Automotive prior to becoming employed by John Poole at Stanwood/Camano Disposal. Imagine his joy when he was handed a garbage truck to drive. “Dan, Dan the garbage man.” The Poole family treated Danny well and became life-long friends. These endeavors made him well known in the community, where he also served as a volunteer fireman.

Danny adored his family. He loved being a dad and grandpa. His home would host birthday parties for his girls and grandkids. Face painting, costume parties, theme parties, bonfires and food. He was generous with his home and time and loved having his family and their friends celebrating someone or something. There was always a ride on the John Deere lawn tractor or a swim in the pool. On holiday’s, there was only one way to make fruit salad and you had better have the stainless steel bowl chilling in the freezer.

Danny enjoyed his routine and was a bit of a home-body. Morning coffee and rolling dice with the locals in town, a day of work, drives with his Hottie (Kathy) through the valley and of course, his bedtime. He enjoyed finding treasures to stash in his workshop until he had a moment to fix or polish them up. If a friend or family member had an issue to resolve, he was quick to offer his help or give something from his collection. He enjoyed wood working. A bit of an idea man, he built a portable chicken coop in the shape of a lighthouse that he intended to park around town, you know, so people could buy eggs. Unfortunately, something ate his chickens so he put that idea behind him and incorporated the lighthouse into his landscape.

In recent years, Danny and Kathy enjoyed adventures, big and small. Things like, making it a point to try burger joints from Bellingham to Everett or a cruise to Jamaica and Grand Cayman Islands. If you know Danny, you know he much preferred the burger joint adventure. They also enjoyed camping in their

trailer, be it in the yard or taking road trips and staying at different campgrounds. It honestly didn’t matter where the adventure took them, it was always accompanied with carefree happiness with a goal to have a good time. Kathy was a great partner for Danny, loving him and getting him out and about and away from home.

Danny spent his later career years as the Maintenance Supervisor at Josephine Sunset Home where he made friends with the staff and residents. One of the highlights for Danny working at Josephine was planning and executing the Josephine bar-b-que and salmon dinners that included community outreach. The events included car and tractor shows, kids games and toys, face painting and of course a beer and wine garden. Although the details of the event could cause some undue stress, the pride he took in seeing it all come together was evident.

Danny passed away on August 15th, 2021 suddenly in his home in Stanwood. He was preceded in death by his father, David Ray Castano and sister-in-law, Sandi Castano. He leaves behind his best friend and Hottie, Kathy McMurry, his beloved daughters, son-in-laws and grandchildren, Danielle Miller, Justin Miller, Cole, Gracie and Roman, Alissa Castano, Dave Marchlewski, Evelyn, Adeline and Isabel, his daughters’ mother Ray Castano, his mother Jean Castano and his step father, Richard Castano (Karen), his siblings Diana Ovenell (Russ), Steven Castano, Kevin Castano (Jan), MaryJane Marion (Bob) and Jim Castano (Sheila) and many nieces and nephews.

May the kindness, happiness and joy that Danny carried in his heart and shared through his presence, smile and laughter bring you peace in the memories you were privileged to build with him.

There will be a celebration of life on August 28th at 1: 00 pm at the Bonnie Sue Cole Building, located at the Stanwood Fair Grounds, 6431 Pioneer Hwy Stanwood, WA 98292. A donation box will be available the day of the celebration to go toward a headstone.

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