Kearney, Daniel J.

Lt. Commander Daniel J. Kearney, Jr., USCG, died on August 28, 2023 at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, California, five months after receiving a devastating stage 4 cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) diagnosis. He was 39 years old and would have turned 40 on October 5.

Dan was the beloved husband of Cmdr. Caroline D. Kearney, USCG, for over 15 years, and the adored father of Benjamin (7) and Thomas (5). He is also survived by his mother, Sara Kearney; father and stepmother, Daniel and Cheryl Kearney; his sister and brother-in-law, Megan and Daniel Whitley, and their children Owen, Patrick and Evelyn. He also leaves behind beloved nieces, aunts, uncles, and in-laws.

Dan grew up in Canton and went on to attend the United States Coast Guard Academy, graduating in 2006 with a BS in management. While at the academy, he played on the CGA Bears football team and met the love of his life and best friend, Caroline. He later graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a Master of Science in aeronautics in 2017.

Dan’s life of Coast Guard service started on the USCGC VALIANT (WMEC-621) in Miami Beach, FL, as a deck watch officer. He then attended Naval Flight School in Pensacola, FL, and earned his wings of gold in 2010 as USCG Aviator #4282.

Dan was a Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin search and rescue helicopter pilot in North Bend, OR, and Corpus Christi, TX, and most recently served as the C-130 long range surveillance production officer at the Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, NC. After diagnosis, Dan was insistent that he and his family continue their planned career trajectory and transfer to USCG Air Station San Francisco, because life doesn’t stop when faced with great challenges. He was just shy of 3,000 flight hours, which saved or assisted many lives, and flew countless test flights that supported mission-ready MH-65 aircraft for the fleet. He was the recipient of the Coast Guard Commendation Medal and Achievement Medal, among other personal awards. Service to his country closely followed his humanist belief, which affirms, without theism, our ability and responsibility to lead an ethical life of personal fulfillment that aspires to the greater good.

Living all over the country came with the benefit of exploring new places. Some of his favorite memories include hiking in the Pacific Northwest, skiing at Mt. Bachelor, Mt. Hood, and Whistler, enjoying the sun and sand in Miami Beach, Pensacola Beach, Padre Island, Outer Banks, Cape Cod, Dayton Island on Lake Nicatous, ME, and the not-so-sunny Oregon Coast, and visiting national parks, in-person or via helicopter overflight, including Crater Lake, Yosemite, Redwoods, Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore, Everglades, Shenandoah, Great Smokey Mountains, Dry Tortugas, Petrified Forest and Carlsbad Caverns.

Most importantly, Dan loved his family and being a father above anything else. He considered raising his boys with Caroline his greatest joy and contribution in life. Though he had great adventures, it was his everyday family life that he enjoyed the most. He was the house chef, loved cooking, but loved eating even more. Playing soccer and basketball in the yard with the boys, jumping around in a blow-up pool in the backyard, endlessly throwing the boys high in the pool, pushing them on the swing set, enjoying family beach days, movie nights, sneaking out on the golf course after hours, family bike rides, Super Mario gaming marathons, snuggling up on the couch with the boys and “his” cat Milo, and general home chaos. Dan loved watching his boys grow into their own personalities, and filling their mind with knowledge and excitement for life. To Dan, home was not a place, but his family.

Dan would also like to thank his family, friends, Coast Guard family, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth and Stanford Hospital for their love, care and support.

A celebration of life will be held at the United States Coast Guard Academy, with inurnment at Arlington National Cemetery on a future date. All are welcome to attend the celebration of life and inurnment services.

Donations can be made in his honor to the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation to help find a cure and improve the quality of life for others facing this rare, aggressive cancer.

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Posted by Canton Citizen on Sep 7 2023. Filed under Obituaries. Both comments and pings are currently closed.