Hart, born and raised in Wellsville, passed away on November 18 after a brief battle with cancer at age 46
By Andrew Harris
When a life long friend dies a flood of memories emerge. You remember things that you had forgotten about, other memories come more into focus. The retrospect shows you how a friendship intertwined your lives and, in many ways, defined it.
Without my pal Dan Hart, I wouldn’t be me.
That never occurred to me until death paid this visit. For many of the formative moments of my life, and for thousands of normal everyday moments, Dan played a role.
Let’s talk about Dan:
This guy was a bear, the biggest and strongest among us. His physical stature beamed strength, if you needed raw power, Dan was your man. He used his size and ability in the best ways possible. Need a massive oak tree taken down? Dan showed up with his ropes, blocks, and a chainsaw. Got a problem with a loudmouth bully? Dan showed up, and that was all he had to do, except maybe let out a little growl. I personally never saw him need to raise a fist.
While I would have never admitted this to him while he was alive, Dan really was a lot like our mutual movie star hero John Wayne. “The Duke” and Dan and I spent some time together, to the point where our vocabulary was permanently changed. Dan’s idea of putting me in my place was to say something like, “You know what? You remind me a lot of Lucky Ned Pepper.” If we had a disagreement or debate, when Dan had enough he’d announce that there would be, “No more talk of “winning spurs!”
If you didn’t know Dan, but you know John Wayne’s catalog, the guy was really a lot like our heroes Tom Doniphon or Jacob McCandles or Sean Thorton. His brawn was perfectly matched to his movie-star smile. Dan had an iconic laugh and charisma that made men happy to be in his company and made women feel at ease, and slightly blushed.
I was just one of many friends drawn to his larger-than-life persona. Dan was the friend who you could depend on for raucous laughter, adventures, and a sense of security. When Dan was around, life was better. Those who knew him well will carry a sense of loss for a long time to come.
My condolences to his family and other friends who won’t forget him.
