Daniel Widner Obituary

Beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother and friend passed away peacefully in his sleep on October 31, 2009 at the age of 73. He was born October 15, 1936 in Pittsburg, Kansas to his parents, Ray and Beryl Widner, who preceded him in death. He went to school in various states and helped his father build houses as a boy and young man. In 1959 he settled his young family in Colorado Springs. Ray, Dan and brother Jerry bought Bud's Muffler and then Big 4 Auto Parts which eventually became Widner Automotive. Dan was a race car fan and started his career building and driving top fuel dragsters. He was one of the first racers to build a rear-engine dragster. His next challenge was off-road racing which he proved adept at by winning the "Baja 1000" twice in 1969 and 1970. When Dan started golfing in 1980, it soon became his new passion. He worked very hard at it for the rest of his life and had 3 "holes-in-one". He was a world traveler and loved visiting exotic places and seeing new things. In 1995 he sold Widner Automotive and retired. Since 1996, he and his wife, Barbie, have spent their winters in Arizona and summers in Colorado. He had a witty sence of humor and bore the brunt of many jokes. He is survived by his wife Barbie, brother, Jerry (Ellie) and their family, daughter, Cathy Widner, (Pat Salyer), son Doug Widner and daughter Wendy Wohlhueter (Dave Downie), grandchildren Kyle and Luke Wohlhueter, Brad (Carrie Jo), Teresa and Jeff Wheaton and 3 great-grands with twins on the way. In lieu of flowers, please give extra hugs to your loved ones. May the winds of love blow softly and whisper so you hear - we will always love and miss you and wish that you were here. There will be a celebration of life service November 28 at 3:00 p.m. at Patty Jewett Golf Course Clubhouse.