Danny Dean Self

Danny Dean Self was born on September 2, 1947 in Lamar, Colorado to Ada Mae (Konkel) and Dorsey Dean Neill. After the death of his father, Danny’s mother married Robert Victor (Vic) Self in 1951. With this union a family was created with the adoption of Danny Dean and his younger sister Dixie Lee, and the later birth of Twila Rose. Danny grew up in the sandy soils of Baca County attending the one-room Crescent School in his early years. Danny learned how to work the fields and was a good hand with the broomcorn, overseeing the workers if his dad had to go into town. He graduated from Springfield High School in 1966 and later from Southern Colorado State College in 1971 with a degree in Industrial Arts, where he met his wife, Kathy Jo Clark. Danny and Kathy were united in marriage on September 11, 1971. To this union, one son was born, Shane Dustin, in October of 1974. In 1996 the family was blessed when Danny’s daughter Cathy Lynn McGraw (born October of 1970) came into their lives. Danny followed in his father’s footsteps and while still in college began aerial spraying alongside his dad in 1968. He sprayed for 45 years before selling his business Self Aerial Spraying to Josh Reid in the fall of 2013. Danny appreciated the loyalty of his customers over the years. He knew the success of the business was also due to those dedicated employees and friends who helped him throughout the span of his career. He was a mentor to several young ag pilots over the years, including Josh, Brett Bond, and Ben Sollenbarger. Danny enjoyed helping other pilots just starting out in the business, giving advice and support. He was a perfectionist. Some said he was hard to work for. No doubt he was meticulous about his work and his equipment which is probably why he lasted as an ag pilot for so many years. Danny checked his plane daily, walking around it, checking every screw and rivet. There was never any guess work about mixing his chemicals or how much was needed for a field. Everything was exact! Danny saw many changes in the business over the years. In the beginning the chemical was measured and bucketed into the plane and later flow meters were utilized in a closed system. Technology revolutionized the business. In the early years a flagger, either on foot, in a pickup or on a four-wheeler was needed to measure off every pass. Then GPS came along. With the use of computers and the Internet, Danny was able to do everything himself from downloading maps of the fields, to doing his own bookkeeping. At the end of the day Danny was most concerned about providing for his family and was always upgrading and improving around the house. If a light bulb went out, or anything needed fixed, Danny did it that minute. Kathy says that’s the Konkel in him! Danny was an avid outdoorsman. He loved the peace and quiet, and the challenge of hunting. During his off season from spraying and after selling his business Danny spent many hours hunting down coyotes. Farmers and ranchers would call him when they had a problem with coyotes killing livestock. Danny would drive many miles to get a coyote. Danny was never one to brag about anything but when it came to the grandkids— he had a special twinkle in his eyes. “Poppin” to Jayla and Maeleigh, and “Grandpa Danny” to Nick and Riley, he adored them, and they adored him. Just like everything else in Danny’s life when it came to the Bible, he didn’t just give it a quick read, he studied it in depth and also enjoyed a daily devotional online. Danny came to know the Lord and was baptized on November 23, 1983. On Monday, May 25, 2015 the Lord, in His love & mercy, quietly took Danny home after he spent over a month in ICU at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs. He was preceded in death by his parents Dorsey Neill, Ada Mae Self Crane, Vic Self and sister Dixie Lee Kotz. Vic’s illness and death had a major impact on Danny’s health as it occurred only seventy days prior to Danny’s death. Danny is survived by his wife, Kathy; son Shane (Robin) Self of Amarillo, TX; daughter Catherine (Michael) Ankenbruck of Denver; grandchildren Jayla, Maeleigh, Nick and Riley; sister Twila (Steve) Westphal of Temple, TX and their children Stefanie (Todd) Vincent, Jason (Stacey) Westphal, and Traci (Nader) Wadie, all of TX; nieces Lee Ann (Michael) Lucas and Erin (Forrest) Rothleutner both of WY; aunts Mary Brower of Tulsa, OK and Juanita Tortella of Amarillo TX; as well as a host of friends. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in the memory of Danny D. Self to Baca County Hospice, 373 E. 10th Avenue, Springfield, CO 81073; or to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation at www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org, or 230 East Ohio Street Suite 304 Chicago, IL 60611. Donations may also be left at Maltbie Funeral Services, and they will see that it goes on to the appropriate charity.