Dan M. Legg

1933 - 2022

BORN

1933

DIED

2022

Dan Legg Obituary

Name: Graveside service for Dan M. Legg
Start: 2022-07-23T20:00:00.000Z
Location: IOOF Cemetery

DAN M LEGG
Dan Masengill Legg was born to Ilene and Herbert Legg on January 18th, 1933 in Kittitas WA, as recorded in the family Bible. His birth certificate states January 22 as his birthday, and since he was born at home it’s speculated that it took a few days for the doctor to get the birth certificate signed. Dan grew up with his siblings on the family farm in Kittitas, four brothers and five sisters. He worked the farm as did the others while receiving good grades throughout school. He was respected by others and respected those he knew. In 1951, Dan married Bonnie McCulley of Vantage WA, the same year they graduated. From 1951-56 he was employed by Brown Bros Cattle/Sheep Ranching at Vantage, and Browning MT. From 1956-1973 he worked for Web Tractor/Inland Machinery Co, living in Ellensburg, Tri-Cities and Yakima WA. Dan and Bonnie had 3 children; Dan, Kim and Jeff, the majority of the families’ time together was in Yakima. After a divorce from Bonnie in 1973, Dan accepted a job in Denver CO with EBS Data Processing, to continue his career doing systems installation and training. This job took him throughout North America and was a highlight of his career. We can only imagine how the travel across the continent to so many “big cities” felt like to him after his humble beginnings in the sheep camps. In Denver, he met Josephine Sanchez, Jo; they married in 1982 and she and her daughter Cindi gave him the comfort of family life he missed. At that time he accepted a job from Shepard Machinery in Los Angeles CA, and they moved to Hacienda Heights, CA. He and Jo continued their educations together at night school at Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut CA. He received an AA in Real Estate Sciences. Upon retirement in 1994, they moved to Sarasota FL, where he continued to enjoy the life of “endless summers” for the next 28 years. For fun, he was active in homeowner’s association boards and annually volunteered to help people with taxes as a public service. He was a dedicated blood donor, just shy of 100 gallons before he was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2014. In November of 2020, after a separation from Jo, he returned to the Northwest, living at Apple Springs Assisted Living in Omak WA, close to Jeff and Kim. Dan was dedicated to his family, lifelong friends and former coworkers. After leaving Washington State, he returned to the Northwest every summer to see them, he was welcomed by all. He especially loved his high school reunions. Until the end of his life he kept in touch with all by phone or zoom. After a valiant effort to live to 100, he answered a higher calling on April 3rd, 2022 at the age of 89 joining many of his family, friends and loved on that went before. He is survived by his sons Dan and Jeff, daughter Kim; wife Jo and stepdaughter Cindi. He has one surviving brother, App Legg of Ellensburg WA and two sisters, Joan Klemmer of Spokane, WA and Mary Hayes, Yakima WA. He had four grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, one great-great granddaughter, numerous nieces and nephews. They were all very dear to him. The gravesite visit will be at IOOF Cemetery in Ellensburg, WA on July 16th, 2022 at 10am; followed by a memorial at Hal Holmes Community Center, 201 Ruby Street, Ellensburg starting at 11am.

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Published by The Daily Record on May 31, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for Dan Legg

3 Entries

Stan & Pat Lusnia

September 20, 2022

We were saddened to hear of Dan´s death. We are grateful for all the work for he did for our community, Stoneybrook Estates, Sarasota, FL. May he Rest In Peace.
Stan & Pat Lusnia.

Ray Winberg

September 18, 2022

Dan was a close friend of mine for many years in Sarasota, FL. I will miss him a lot. Ray Winberg

Jon and Mary Jo Woodrum

July 3, 2022

My Friend, Dan Legg,
Dan and several in the circle of friends had backgrounds working for Caterpillar dealerships. Caterpillar Corporate headquarters had a data processing center, DDPD, where many of the privately owned Caterpillar dealerships would process their inventory, accounting, invoicing, receivables and various other reports. The dealership would transmit weekly (data keyed in on magnetic tapes) into DDPD and overnight the DDPD center would process and return for next day´s delivery to the dealership. The DDPD "reps" would work with the dealerships to set up their forms, data collection, education and training. Through this association dealership personnel developed friendship and a great rapport with DDPD individuals. Ken Chalcraft was one of these special people from DDPD.
Along the way several of the DDPD gang left Caterpillar to take part in a new enterprising project to develop software for Caterpillar dealers and other earth moving equipment distributors. A company in Inglewood Colo, EBS, had a computer processing operation that served as the host for this project. This new enterprise needed people to work on the project, develop functionality specifications, develop code, implement the software at dealership sites, provide phone support, training, and write custom programming specification for the customer. Ken Chalcraft reached out to several of the ones that he had worked with including Dan and me. From my perspective it was quite flattering to even be considered a qualified candidate-working for and side-by-side these DDPD guru´s. In my case I had left Lincoln Equipment Company, Lincoln Ne, after 7 years of employment, to buy a grocery store in a small southwestern Nebraska town. I had only operated the store a year and a half when the calls from EBS/Ken started. We were doing well in the store but the new opportunity was so fascinating that I decided to take the leap, sell the store and go. How could I go wrong under Ken Chalcraft´s leadership and friendship? He was my starting boss at EBS.
I didn´t know Dan before EBS. But shortly after I started with EBS I was called into the office by the president to learn that Ken was being assigned different responsibilities and I would be reporting to Dan Legg. I about cried. I sold my store, moved my family of wife and six kids all the way to Denver from Nebraska, now to be working for an unknown in a whole new world. Well, that fear and concern lasted about six hours. You don´t have to know Dan very long to realize what a terrific person he is in every aspect-work ethics, kindness, fairness, love of family, team player, respect of others and frequently making "doubly sure" of something. "Doubly sure"-a commonly used phrase with Dan. It wasn´t long before I was consumed in work that I really liked and a friendship that never weakened. Many changes took place at EBS, regularly, but the one remaining constant was Dan-the EBS rock. Work associates and customers loved this person and had total respect for his contribution to whatever they were working on or doing. Work or recreation.
Dan bought our new home from us that we purchased when moving to Inglewood. We purchased a larger home in the suburbs of Denver, Parker, with more room for our family.
In December of 1982 our family of 6 children took a trip to California to visit Disneyland as our Christmas celebration. Dan, Jo and Cindi had a villa type unit as I recall, very nice, with 2 bedrooms. We wanted to stop to see friend Dan, Jo and Cindi so we did. Dan insisted we stay with them rather than at a hotel. Eight of us! Dan still had his older pickup truck with camper shell on it so some of our 5 sons slept there, our daughter, the youngest child, somewhere in the house I´m sure. The Leggs gave us a popcorn popping machine as a Christmas present...our only Christmas present that year. I think it was a one night stay over but fun and so kind of the Leggs. Cindi was junior high age I believe and was beside herself with these five 12-18 years of age boys staying with them. She could take her pick. Maybe pick two. Ha. She was calling girlfriends with the unbelievable news.
Dan and I shared, I believe, the fact that we found fun in our work. EBS work, demands, were dominant factors in our lives, but there was a lot of gratification and fun working with the customers and the other EBS personnel with the continued advancement and accomplishments of the EBS software applications.
I believe at one time EBS had 1/3 of the Caterpillar dealers on their software. Quite an accomplishment.

Three years ago our friend Ken Chalcraft passed away. He had a childhood connection to a rural community in Illinois where his funeral service was held-a small country church. Even though Dan was on 3/wk dialysis in Florida, he flew to St Louis and stayed with us a night before and after driving from our home near St Louis to Ken´s funeral in Albion, IL. Another Caterpillar dealership background friend who had also joined EBS as Dan and I did, Doug Lee, flew up for the funeral as well. In addition to the meaningfulness of that service for Ken, meeting relatives, seeing his childhood community, etc., Doug, Dan and I had the best visit and time together sharing our similar backgrounds and experiences at EBS, with Ken and others. It was a special time. I´m so thankful that Dan, Doug and I were able to have that time together one more time.

Dan asked about our grapes/grape vines when we would talk. We planted them 5-6 years ago when we moved to the country. In my mind now I can, and will always, see Dan sitting in a comfy chair on our lower level walk out patio upon return from Ken´s funeral. He would nod off and look so peaceful. He enjoyed conversing with Mary Jo while here.

Dan and Jo were a striking and fun couple. I feel Dan enjoyed and loved having Cindi under his parental wing with his own children. He was always so proud of Jo and Cindi´s accomplishments as he was with his children´s accomplishments. He never expressed a disappointment. He kept a positive cadence even in times of tougher going.

I´m so thankful for having Dan in part of my life´s journey. It doesn´t get any better than having Dan as a friend and co-worker. I´m sure his qualities are evident and active in the lives of the ones he has raised and cared for. Good apples like that don´t fall far from the tree.

With so much heartfelt love,

Jon and Mary Jo woodrum