Children are:
Lou Ann Exum (1954 - )
Mary Ellen Exum (1956 - )
Obituary Published in Merced Sun Star on January 7, 2009 (updated here to include great-grandchildren):
Dana O. Exum, well-known fast-pitch softball pitcher, passed away at his home on Sunday, January 4 in the company of his family.
He leaves his wife of 64 years, Betty Lucille (Lou), daughters Lou Ann Sakaki (Katsuro), Mary Ellen Griffin (James), grandsons Jesse Exum and Peter Exum Denno (wife Dana), and great-grandchildren Julia and Nathan. His parents, two sisters and brother are deceased.
Dana lived in Merced since 19549. Active in the Central Presbyterian Church, he served as Deacon, Elder, Co-Superintendent (with his wife) of the Junior Dept. Sunday School, and many other volunteer positions. Dana had asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior and lived a life of practical Christianity, always helping others. With his wife he raised two unique daughters, teaching them the value of hard work, loyalty, a sense of humor, love of animals, compassion and a positive outlook on life.
Dana was born in Ramsdell, Texas in 1923 and moved to Springdale, Arkansas in 1930. He was skipped ahead two grades in school so that he could share books--which students had to buy--with his older brother. Fortunately, he was a gifted student, and excelled in spelling and grammar. He was also very tall for his age and started pitching softball in a men's league at age 13.
In high school, he lettered in every sport offered, and courted his sweetheart, Betty Joanna Lucille Davis. He was a Navy airplane mechanic for 3 years during WWII and married his sweetheart in 1945. After an honorable discharge from the Navy he attended the University of Arkansas on a football scholarship until moving to California to work for General Motors. He moved to Merced in 19549, working in managerial capacities in the trucking industry, and finally as owner of his own trucking company.
During his years of pitching softball, he pitched in four world tournaments. In 1954 he was named leading pitcher, and is listed in the International Softball Congress in Oklahoma city. That same year he was elected to the All-America Team and was named most valuable player. Dana was inducted into sports halls of fame in Merced, Stockton, Stanislaus County and Springdale, Arkansas.
Dana pitched softball every season until age 68. He willingly coached anyone who was interested in fast- pitch softball. He built and gave away ball return targets to aspiring pitchers. His skill as a pitcher put him in great demand, whether for school, Navy, company or city teams. He was the epitome of the Christian athlete, a polite and kind example of the highest level of sportsmanship.
Services will be held at the Central Presbyterian Church on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. with a reception following in the Hoffmeister Center dining room.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers contributions to the Central Presbyterian Church at 1920 Canal St., Merced, CA 95340.
The following was written by Lou Ann Exum:
Dana Exum grew up during hard times on the eastern edge of the Texas Panhandle. His parents did own their own farm, but life was full of hard work and doing without. By the age of eight, Dana was hunting squirrels to supplement the family's diet. They plowed with a mule named Molly, and his dad did work for the WPA during the Great Depression. The family always had hunting dogs, and Dana enjoyed training and keeping bird dogs and going pheasant hunting into middle age.
When Dana was 13, the family moved to the country outside Springdale, Arkansas, where they again owned their own place. He met the love of his life, Betty Joanna Lucille Davis, through her older brothers, as Dana was four years her senior. Both he and Lucille had been skipped up two grades in elementary school, so they each graduated high school at the age of 16 and entered early into the world of work.
When World War II raised its ugly head, Dana joined the Navy rather than be drafted. He ended up as an airplane mechanic on base in Corpus Christi, Texas. He and Lucille married and lived on base. When the war was over, they followed Lucille's six sisters and their husbands out to California, where there was a booming job market. They settled in Merced, California, joined the church of their choice, and got good office jobs. Five years later, their first daughter was born, followed by the second two years later.
Although Dana and Lucille were old-school in many ways, the females of the family were encouraged to achieve. Dana was supportive of his wife's career, and did more around the house than most husbands of their times. When Lou (as she became known) embarked on her college education while holding down a full-time job, Dana kept the girls busy helping him with yardwork and going on outdoor adventures on weekends. He became the breakfast chef and hoodwinked the girls into drinking loathsome glasses of grapefruit juice by pretending to race them and letting them win.
Dana gave in to his daughters' entreaties for a horse when the girls were seven and five, and horsing around became part of the close bond among them. The girls were also proud of his pitching prowess. They were excited to become batgirls for Dana's team, the Merced Monarchs. Dana was #13 for decades, called "Big D" (he stood 6'3") by his teammates when on the mound, pitching no-hitters. He gave the girls pocketknives and slingshots. He made wooden swords and shields for use in mock combat.
Dana was a soft-spoken gentleman--the most profane exclamation ever heard out of him was "My gosh." Although he never pursued higher education, he was a gifted grammarian and speller. He proofread Lou's college papers to perfection, and enjoyed pointing out unintentional errors in newspaper ads. He had a wry, dry sense of humor, and he was easy to be around.
Dana had always shown love by building and doing things for others, even into his older age. He had always been unusually strong, and it grieved him when he began to develop Reynaud's Disease. He became less sure-footed, and took a couple of nasty falls. Apparently osteoporosis was weakening his bones, because one afternoon, upon getting up from his easy chair, he collapsed with a broken hip. He was 85, and surgery and a stint in rehab therapy had the effect of accelerating his decline. He had been dealing with a growing prostrate cancer a couple of years previous.
Lou took care of Dana at home, with help from son-in-law Katsuro and Ruben Benavides, a fellow truck enthusiast. Hospice was called in toward the last. Younger daughter Mary drove over from Utah to be with him for a few weeks. It seemed he wanted to savor her presence as long as it lasted, because one day after she had to drive back, he passed away. With him were Lou, daughter Lou Ann, her husband Katsuro, and Ruben.
Lou Ann Exum (1954 - )
Mary Ellen Exum (1956 - )
Obituary Published in Merced Sun Star on January 7, 2009 (updated here to include great-grandchildren):
Dana O. Exum, well-known fast-pitch softball pitcher, passed away at his home on Sunday, January 4 in the company of his family.
He leaves his wife of 64 years, Betty Lucille (Lou), daughters Lou Ann Sakaki (Katsuro), Mary Ellen Griffin (James), grandsons Jesse Exum and Peter Exum Denno (wife Dana), and great-grandchildren Julia and Nathan. His parents, two sisters and brother are deceased.
Dana lived in Merced since 19549. Active in the Central Presbyterian Church, he served as Deacon, Elder, Co-Superintendent (with his wife) of the Junior Dept. Sunday School, and many other volunteer positions. Dana had asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior and lived a life of practical Christianity, always helping others. With his wife he raised two unique daughters, teaching them the value of hard work, loyalty, a sense of humor, love of animals, compassion and a positive outlook on life.
Dana was born in Ramsdell, Texas in 1923 and moved to Springdale, Arkansas in 1930. He was skipped ahead two grades in school so that he could share books--which students had to buy--with his older brother. Fortunately, he was a gifted student, and excelled in spelling and grammar. He was also very tall for his age and started pitching softball in a men's league at age 13.
In high school, he lettered in every sport offered, and courted his sweetheart, Betty Joanna Lucille Davis. He was a Navy airplane mechanic for 3 years during WWII and married his sweetheart in 1945. After an honorable discharge from the Navy he attended the University of Arkansas on a football scholarship until moving to California to work for General Motors. He moved to Merced in 19549, working in managerial capacities in the trucking industry, and finally as owner of his own trucking company.
During his years of pitching softball, he pitched in four world tournaments. In 1954 he was named leading pitcher, and is listed in the International Softball Congress in Oklahoma city. That same year he was elected to the All-America Team and was named most valuable player. Dana was inducted into sports halls of fame in Merced, Stockton, Stanislaus County and Springdale, Arkansas.
Dana pitched softball every season until age 68. He willingly coached anyone who was interested in fast- pitch softball. He built and gave away ball return targets to aspiring pitchers. His skill as a pitcher put him in great demand, whether for school, Navy, company or city teams. He was the epitome of the Christian athlete, a polite and kind example of the highest level of sportsmanship.
Services will be held at the Central Presbyterian Church on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. with a reception following in the Hoffmeister Center dining room.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers contributions to the Central Presbyterian Church at 1920 Canal St., Merced, CA 95340.
The following was written by Lou Ann Exum:
Dana Exum grew up during hard times on the eastern edge of the Texas Panhandle. His parents did own their own farm, but life was full of hard work and doing without. By the age of eight, Dana was hunting squirrels to supplement the family's diet. They plowed with a mule named Molly, and his dad did work for the WPA during the Great Depression. The family always had hunting dogs, and Dana enjoyed training and keeping bird dogs and going pheasant hunting into middle age.
When Dana was 13, the family moved to the country outside Springdale, Arkansas, where they again owned their own place. He met the love of his life, Betty Joanna Lucille Davis, through her older brothers, as Dana was four years her senior. Both he and Lucille had been skipped up two grades in elementary school, so they each graduated high school at the age of 16 and entered early into the world of work.
When World War II raised its ugly head, Dana joined the Navy rather than be drafted. He ended up as an airplane mechanic on base in Corpus Christi, Texas. He and Lucille married and lived on base. When the war was over, they followed Lucille's six sisters and their husbands out to California, where there was a booming job market. They settled in Merced, California, joined the church of their choice, and got good office jobs. Five years later, their first daughter was born, followed by the second two years later.
Although Dana and Lucille were old-school in many ways, the females of the family were encouraged to achieve. Dana was supportive of his wife's career, and did more around the house than most husbands of their times. When Lou (as she became known) embarked on her college education while holding down a full-time job, Dana kept the girls busy helping him with yardwork and going on outdoor adventures on weekends. He became the breakfast chef and hoodwinked the girls into drinking loathsome glasses of grapefruit juice by pretending to race them and letting them win.
Dana gave in to his daughters' entreaties for a horse when the girls were seven and five, and horsing around became part of the close bond among them. The girls were also proud of his pitching prowess. They were excited to become batgirls for Dana's team, the Merced Monarchs. Dana was #13 for decades, called "Big D" (he stood 6'3") by his teammates when on the mound, pitching no-hitters. He gave the girls pocketknives and slingshots. He made wooden swords and shields for use in mock combat.
Dana was a soft-spoken gentleman--the most profane exclamation ever heard out of him was "My gosh." Although he never pursued higher education, he was a gifted grammarian and speller. He proofread Lou's college papers to perfection, and enjoyed pointing out unintentional errors in newspaper ads. He had a wry, dry sense of humor, and he was easy to be around.
Dana had always shown love by building and doing things for others, even into his older age. He had always been unusually strong, and it grieved him when he began to develop Reynaud's Disease. He became less sure-footed, and took a couple of nasty falls. Apparently osteoporosis was weakening his bones, because one afternoon, upon getting up from his easy chair, he collapsed with a broken hip. He was 85, and surgery and a stint in rehab therapy had the effect of accelerating his decline. He had been dealing with a growing prostrate cancer a couple of years previous.
Lou took care of Dana at home, with help from son-in-law Katsuro and Ruben Benavides, a fellow truck enthusiast. Hospice was called in toward the last. Younger daughter Mary drove over from Utah to be with him for a few weeks. It seemed he wanted to savor her presence as long as it lasted, because one day after she had to drive back, he passed away. With him were Lou, daughter Lou Ann, her husband Katsuro, and Ruben.
Children are:
Lou Ann Exum (1954 - )
Mary Ellen Exum (1956 - )
Obituary Published in Merced Sun Star on January 7, 2009 (updated here to include great-grandchildren):
Dana O. Exum, well-known fast-pitch softball pitcher, passed away at his home on Sunday, January 4 in the company of his family.
He leaves his wife of 64 years, Betty Lucille (Lou), daughters Lou Ann Sakaki (Katsuro), Mary Ellen Griffin (James), grandsons Jesse Exum and Peter Exum Denno (wife Dana), and great-grandchildren Julia and Nathan. His parents, two sisters and brother are deceased.
Dana lived in Merced since 19549. Active in the Central Presbyterian Church, he served as Deacon, Elder, Co-Superintendent (with his wife) of the Junior Dept. Sunday School, and many other volunteer positions. Dana had asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior and lived a life of practical Christianity, always helping others. With his wife he raised two unique daughters, teaching them the value of hard work, loyalty, a sense of humor, love of animals, compassion and a positive outlook on life.
Dana was born in Ramsdell, Texas in 1923 and moved to Springdale, Arkansas in 1930. He was skipped ahead two grades in school so that he could share books--which students had to buy--with his older brother. Fortunately, he was a gifted student, and excelled in spelling and grammar. He was also very tall for his age and started pitching softball in a men's league at age 13.
In high school, he lettered in every sport offered, and courted his sweetheart, Betty Joanna Lucille Davis. He was a Navy airplane mechanic for 3 years during WWII and married his sweetheart in 1945. After an honorable discharge from the Navy he attended the University of Arkansas on a football scholarship until moving to California to work for General Motors. He moved to Merced in 19549, working in managerial capacities in the trucking industry, and finally as owner of his own trucking company.
During his years of pitching softball, he pitched in four world tournaments. In 1954 he was named leading pitcher, and is listed in the International Softball Congress in Oklahoma city. That same year he was elected to the All-America Team and was named most valuable player. Dana was inducted into sports halls of fame in Merced, Stockton, Stanislaus County and Springdale, Arkansas.
Dana pitched softball every season until age 68. He willingly coached anyone who was interested in fast- pitch softball. He built and gave away ball return targets to aspiring pitchers. His skill as a pitcher put him in great demand, whether for school, Navy, company or city teams. He was the epitome of the Christian athlete, a polite and kind example of the highest level of sportsmanship.
Services will be held at the Central Presbyterian Church on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. with a reception following in the Hoffmeister Center dining room.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers contributions to the Central Presbyterian Church at 1920 Canal St., Merced, CA 95340.
The following was written by Lou Ann Exum:
Dana Exum grew up during hard times on the eastern edge of the Texas Panhandle. His parents did own their own farm, but life was full of hard work and doing without. By the age of eight, Dana was hunting squirrels to supplement the family's diet. They plowed with a mule named Molly, and his dad did work for the WPA during the Great Depression. The family always had hunting dogs, and Dana enjoyed training and keeping bird dogs and going pheasant hunting into middle age.
When Dana was 13, the family moved to the country outside Springdale, Arkansas, where they again owned their own place. He met the love of his life, Betty Joanna Lucille Davis, through her older brothers, as Dana was four years her senior. Both he and Lucille had been skipped up two grades in elementary school, so they each graduated high school at the age of 16 and entered early into the world of work.
When World War II raised its ugly head, Dana joined the Navy rather than be drafted. He ended up as an airplane mechanic on base in Corpus Christi, Texas. He and Lucille married and lived on base. When the war was over, they followed Lucille's six sisters and their husbands out to California, where there was a booming job market. They settled in Merced, California, joined the church of their choice, and got good office jobs. Five years later, their first daughter was born, followed by the second two years later.
Although Dana and Lucille were old-school in many ways, the females of the family were encouraged to achieve. Dana was supportive of his wife's career, and did more around the house than most husbands of their times. When Lou (as she became known) embarked on her college education while holding down a full-time job, Dana kept the girls busy helping him with yardwork and going on outdoor adventures on weekends. He became the breakfast chef and hoodwinked the girls into drinking loathsome glasses of grapefruit juice by pretending to race them and letting them win.
Dana gave in to his daughters' entreaties for a horse when the girls were seven and five, and horsing around became part of the close bond among them. The girls were also proud of his pitching prowess. They were excited to become batgirls for Dana's team, the Merced Monarchs. Dana was #13 for decades, called "Big D" (he stood 6'3") by his teammates when on the mound, pitching no-hitters. He gave the girls pocketknives and slingshots. He made wooden swords and shields for use in mock combat.
Dana was a soft-spoken gentleman--the most profane exclamation ever heard out of him was "My gosh." Although he never pursued higher education, he was a gifted grammarian and speller. He proofread Lou's college papers to perfection, and enjoyed pointing out unintentional errors in newspaper ads. He had a wry, dry sense of humor, and he was easy to be around.
Dana had always shown love by building and doing things for others, even into his older age. He had always been unusually strong, and it grieved him when he began to develop Reynaud's Disease. He became less sure-footed, and took a couple of nasty falls. Apparently osteoporosis was weakening his bones, because one afternoon, upon getting up from his easy chair, he collapsed with a broken hip. He was 85, and surgery and a stint in rehab therapy had the effect of accelerating his decline. He had been dealing with a growing prostrate cancer a couple of years previous.
Lou took care of Dana at home, with help from son-in-law Katsuro and Ruben Benavides, a fellow truck enthusiast. Hospice was called in toward the last. Younger daughter Mary drove over from Utah to be with him for a few weeks. It seemed he wanted to savor her presence as long as it lasted, because one day after she had to drive back, he passed away. With him were Lou, daughter Lou Ann, her husband Katsuro, and Ruben.
Lou Ann Exum (1954 - )
Mary Ellen Exum (1956 - )
Obituary Published in Merced Sun Star on January 7, 2009 (updated here to include great-grandchildren):
Dana O. Exum, well-known fast-pitch softball pitcher, passed away at his home on Sunday, January 4 in the company of his family.
He leaves his wife of 64 years, Betty Lucille (Lou), daughters Lou Ann Sakaki (Katsuro), Mary Ellen Griffin (James), grandsons Jesse Exum and Peter Exum Denno (wife Dana), and great-grandchildren Julia and Nathan. His parents, two sisters and brother are deceased.
Dana lived in Merced since 19549. Active in the Central Presbyterian Church, he served as Deacon, Elder, Co-Superintendent (with his wife) of the Junior Dept. Sunday School, and many other volunteer positions. Dana had asked Jesus to be his Lord and Savior and lived a life of practical Christianity, always helping others. With his wife he raised two unique daughters, teaching them the value of hard work, loyalty, a sense of humor, love of animals, compassion and a positive outlook on life.
Dana was born in Ramsdell, Texas in 1923 and moved to Springdale, Arkansas in 1930. He was skipped ahead two grades in school so that he could share books--which students had to buy--with his older brother. Fortunately, he was a gifted student, and excelled in spelling and grammar. He was also very tall for his age and started pitching softball in a men's league at age 13.
In high school, he lettered in every sport offered, and courted his sweetheart, Betty Joanna Lucille Davis. He was a Navy airplane mechanic for 3 years during WWII and married his sweetheart in 1945. After an honorable discharge from the Navy he attended the University of Arkansas on a football scholarship until moving to California to work for General Motors. He moved to Merced in 19549, working in managerial capacities in the trucking industry, and finally as owner of his own trucking company.
During his years of pitching softball, he pitched in four world tournaments. In 1954 he was named leading pitcher, and is listed in the International Softball Congress in Oklahoma city. That same year he was elected to the All-America Team and was named most valuable player. Dana was inducted into sports halls of fame in Merced, Stockton, Stanislaus County and Springdale, Arkansas.
Dana pitched softball every season until age 68. He willingly coached anyone who was interested in fast- pitch softball. He built and gave away ball return targets to aspiring pitchers. His skill as a pitcher put him in great demand, whether for school, Navy, company or city teams. He was the epitome of the Christian athlete, a polite and kind example of the highest level of sportsmanship.
Services will be held at the Central Presbyterian Church on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. with a reception following in the Hoffmeister Center dining room.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers contributions to the Central Presbyterian Church at 1920 Canal St., Merced, CA 95340.
The following was written by Lou Ann Exum:
Dana Exum grew up during hard times on the eastern edge of the Texas Panhandle. His parents did own their own farm, but life was full of hard work and doing without. By the age of eight, Dana was hunting squirrels to supplement the family's diet. They plowed with a mule named Molly, and his dad did work for the WPA during the Great Depression. The family always had hunting dogs, and Dana enjoyed training and keeping bird dogs and going pheasant hunting into middle age.
When Dana was 13, the family moved to the country outside Springdale, Arkansas, where they again owned their own place. He met the love of his life, Betty Joanna Lucille Davis, through her older brothers, as Dana was four years her senior. Both he and Lucille had been skipped up two grades in elementary school, so they each graduated high school at the age of 16 and entered early into the world of work.
When World War II raised its ugly head, Dana joined the Navy rather than be drafted. He ended up as an airplane mechanic on base in Corpus Christi, Texas. He and Lucille married and lived on base. When the war was over, they followed Lucille's six sisters and their husbands out to California, where there was a booming job market. They settled in Merced, California, joined the church of their choice, and got good office jobs. Five years later, their first daughter was born, followed by the second two years later.
Although Dana and Lucille were old-school in many ways, the females of the family were encouraged to achieve. Dana was supportive of his wife's career, and did more around the house than most husbands of their times. When Lou (as she became known) embarked on her college education while holding down a full-time job, Dana kept the girls busy helping him with yardwork and going on outdoor adventures on weekends. He became the breakfast chef and hoodwinked the girls into drinking loathsome glasses of grapefruit juice by pretending to race them and letting them win.
Dana gave in to his daughters' entreaties for a horse when the girls were seven and five, and horsing around became part of the close bond among them. The girls were also proud of his pitching prowess. They were excited to become batgirls for Dana's team, the Merced Monarchs. Dana was #13 for decades, called "Big D" (he stood 6'3") by his teammates when on the mound, pitching no-hitters. He gave the girls pocketknives and slingshots. He made wooden swords and shields for use in mock combat.
Dana was a soft-spoken gentleman--the most profane exclamation ever heard out of him was "My gosh." Although he never pursued higher education, he was a gifted grammarian and speller. He proofread Lou's college papers to perfection, and enjoyed pointing out unintentional errors in newspaper ads. He had a wry, dry sense of humor, and he was easy to be around.
Dana had always shown love by building and doing things for others, even into his older age. He had always been unusually strong, and it grieved him when he began to develop Reynaud's Disease. He became less sure-footed, and took a couple of nasty falls. Apparently osteoporosis was weakening his bones, because one afternoon, upon getting up from his easy chair, he collapsed with a broken hip. He was 85, and surgery and a stint in rehab therapy had the effect of accelerating his decline. He had been dealing with a growing prostrate cancer a couple of years previous.
Lou took care of Dana at home, with help from son-in-law Katsuro and Ruben Benavides, a fellow truck enthusiast. Hospice was called in toward the last. Younger daughter Mary drove over from Utah to be with him for a few weeks. It seemed he wanted to savor her presence as long as it lasted, because one day after she had to drive back, he passed away. With him were Lou, daughter Lou Ann, her husband Katsuro, and Ruben.
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AMM2C US NAVY
WORLD WAR II
BELOVED HUSBAND & DAD
FASTPITCH CHAMPION
