Dan F. McGaughey of Safford passed away peacefully in his home Saturday, Feb. 25th. He was 81 years old.
Dan was born November 21st, 1935 to Joe G. McGaughey and Mary Lowery McGaughey in Knox County, Texas. He, his parents and 2 sisters relocated to Morenci, AZ when Dan was 9 years old. He graduated from Morenci, H.S. in 1954 and worked a variety of jobs in Graham and Greenlee counties while attending EAC. Most of his jobs involved cars, his first love, in some form or another.
Dan met his future wife Joy Rogers while he was working and serving in the Army National Guard and she was teaching at Morenci H.S. and they married in January of 1961. The newlyweds moved to Phoenix when the school year was through, where Dan completed training for a career as an Arizona Highway patrolman. His first posting was in Willcox where their young family grew to include the first 3 of 5 children. They moved to the Gila Valley in the late sixties and made it their home permanently.
Dan retired from DPS after 20 years and fulfilled a lifelong dream when he opened The Fender Vendor. He operated the collision repair business at the top of Jensen Hill for 30 years and spent many happy hours in that time exploring Arizona and New Mexico on his motorcycle. He loved this area and the people he lived and worked with.
Dan is preceded in death by Joy, his wife of 51 years; he is survived by two sisters, Kathy Epp of Peoria, AZ and Mary Helen Estes of Silver City, NM. He also leaves his 5 children, Steve (Donna), Julie (Steve) Miller, John, Ken and Sarah (KC) Siebenaler and 10 grandchildren, Dillon, Troy, Chase, Kayla, Coleman, Evan, Eli, Isaac, Madison and Ezra.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Dan’s memory can be made to SEACUS or Meals on Wheels.
Viewing time is from 5-7 p.m. Friday, March 3, 2017 at the McDougal’s Caldwell Funeral Chapel, 112 East Main Street, Safford. Private family services will be at a later date.
Arrangements are under the direction of McDougal’s Caldwell Funeral Chapel & Gila Valley Crematory. Online condolences may be extended at www.caldwellfuneralchapel.com
