Daniel “Dan” Scott Kubik was born on June 11, 1933 in Wichita, KS to Ben and Helen Kubik. His younger brother, Warren, was born a few years later and would become his childhood partner in crime, sharing many mischievous adventures together. Dan’s cousin Shirley, recalls the fun all the kids had on Grandad Kubik’s farm and on one occasion, when they “tried all of Grandad’s pipes while hiding out in the little chicken house where Grandma put her baby chicks. Guess we never figured out that smoke coming from the chicken house would illicit an investigation.” Proving, that Dan was a “rascal” from the very beginning! Dan joined and proudly served in the US Marine Corp for 4 years. He then went on to graduate from Oklahoma University in 1958 with a Marketing/Accounting degree. He belonged to the Beta Theta Pi fraternity where he maintained lifelong friends with his closest “Brothers”. Dan had 5 remarkable children: Danna, Kris, Mark, Shane and Damon. When he began sharing his life with his future wife and greatest love, Lucille in 1977, he inherited his sixth child, Ricky. Even though Ricky was not his “biological” child, he treated and guided him through life as if he were his own and proudly referred to him as his “son”. From his six children, he was a very proud and loving Grandpa/Gampa to 11 beautiful grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. Dan wore many hats throughout his working career; from repossessing cars and shoe salesman to marketing for Disney and TeleVisa. He co-owned Seymour Hamms which combined his love of theater and his business smarts. He was an Entrepreneur and a savvy Marketing Business man with a very strong work ethic. Dan was a great lifelong friend to many and had an incredible sense of humor, although at times, not always the most appropriate! He was strong willed and very passionate about his views and beliefs which led to many heated debates. Dan thrived on those fiery clashes and was usually the first one to “stir the pot” to get those conversations started. Dan was also one to enjoy a good party! His charisma along with those twinkling eyes and bright, warm smile were infectious and you couldn’t help but have a good time when he was around. Dan took an interest in every person he met. He’d sit down with anyone, no matter age, color or political views and warmly strike up a conversation. Dan had a way of making every person he encountered feel important. Even with his strong Marine exterior, Dan had a soft, sentimental side. You might have even caught a glimpse of the tears rolling down his face after a touching Hallmark commercial. He immensely enjoyed reading a good book, loved to write novels, & work in musical theater. He directed many plays including his favorites: Fiddler on the Roof, Brigadoon and Sound of Music, just to name a few. Golf was a game that Dan greatly enjoyed, to not only watch but play. Of course, his veins continued to pump with pride of his alma mater, Oklahoma University, so he also loved to watch college football and cheer on the Sooners. Dan and Lucille moved to Chico, CA in April of 2012. But, not before making quite an impression upon not only the Torrance, CA Outback regulars (they themselves “regulars” for 10+ years), but the Torrance Outback staff and management. Before leaving for Northern California, the Torrance Outback threw them a going away party, which in itself was pretty remarkable. But it was taken to another level when some of their good Outback friends, aka the “Friday Gang”, unveiled a special dedication plaque to be placed in “their” corner of the Outback bar. As I can still hear Dan say, “Who does that?!” In September of 2012, Dan was diagnosed with Small Cell Lung Cancer. With positive attitude and brave spirit, he endured 6 rounds of chemotherapy and 2 weeks of radiation. Unfortunately, around March of 2013 he came down with pneumonia. While his will remained strong, his body had become weak. We watched with sad, heavy hearts as he lost the battle on Friday May 3, 2013. How can words even begin to sum up a life as full as his and that touched the hearts of so many people? There is no doubt that Dan’s personality was larger than life, he had a tremendous impact on many and maintained a fighting spirit to the very end. If you listen closely, you can hear the sound of angels laughing and I’m sure a few are blushing at his jokes. Dan will be greatly missed and never, ever forgotten! God saw you getting tired and a cure was not to be. So he put his arms around you and whispered,"Come to Me". With tearful eyes we watched you and saw you pass away. And although we love you dearly we could not make you stay. A Golden heart stopped beating, hard working hands at rest. God broke our hearts to prove to us, He only takes the best. ~Anonymous