Obituary of Daniel Warren Krause Sr.

Daniel Warren Krause, Sr. of Bay City, Michigan passed away on Monday, December 22, 2025 at the age of 77.

Born February 10, 1948, the oldest son of Virginia and Warren Krause, Dan grew up and lived much of his life in the Collegetown neighborhood. He met the love of his life, Mary Beth (Gilbert) in the summer of 1965, they married on April 4, 1970 and for the past 60 years together they built a loving home and family and made memories for each of us to treasure.

Dan worked 30 years at E&L Mobile Homes and 10 years at Graff Chevrolet and throughout the years exemplified the true meaning of the phrase work ethic – always showing up and working hard, even when it was difficult. His projects and hobbies outside of work were what truly brought him satisfaction. Dan loved working in his garage and could build or fix anything! He enjoyed working on cars (especially his '66 SS Chevelle and race cars), woodworking, home repair, metal work and building anything his creative mind came up with. His varied projects included a model Gunsmoke village in his back yard, a custom lemonade stand, a motorized “power-chair”, a fantastic multi-car train for his grandchildren to ride on and his #3 replica race car. He never needed a blueprint or how-to manual – it all just came naturally to him.

Dan's mischievous sense of humor, a constant throughout his life, helped him as he battled health issues the past few years. He's locally famous (Henry St. 7-11) for the ancient Double Gulp cup he reinforced with JB Weld so he could keep using it years after they stopped making them! Beneath his joking, tough exterior Dan had a very soft heart. He loved his family, friends and pets with all he had and did anything he could to make their lives better.

His sons have cherished memories of spending summers at Lost Valley Campground as kids, with Dan working all week, then joining them on the weekends for great times before leaving early on Monday morning to head back to work. They will remember him as a wonderful father and a perfect teacher and role model.

He was a member of the Bay City Police Reserves, serving as a pistol instructor and Deputy Chief.

Dan is survived by his wife, Mary Beth, sons Brian (Lisa), Eric (Judy) and Daniel, Jr. Also survived by his grandchildren Christopher Daniel (Barbie), Logan, Dyllan (Amanda), Chase, Bailey and Ellyas and great-grandchildren Silas Daniel, Camille and Vairis.

Siblings “John Boy” (Jackie), Paul, April, Babette, Mike, and Maria as well as his brother-in-law Michael Gilbert – all of Bay City, survive his passing. Dan had many beloved nieces, nephews, god-children and cousins. He was a steadfast support to his niece Trisha (Rob) Cordes and nephews JR (Vanessa) Narvaiz and Justin Forgette after the loss of their mother. Former brother-in-law Larry Tacey remained a friend throughout his life. The care and concern shown by his special lifelong friend Leroy Harvey was so appreciated by Dan and Mary.

He was predeceased by his parents and grandparents, sister Sandra VanOchten, mother-in-law Virginia Gilbert, sister-in-law Sally Medina, and nephew Justin Forgette. His close friend and travel buddy Howie Herzberger and lifelong friend, Kipp Meisel also predeceased him.

The family will receive friends at Hyatt Ewald Funeral Home on Friday, January 9 from 12:00-3:00 pm with a service to follow beginning at 3:00 pm.

Dan's family would like to send a special thank you to the physical and occupational therapists and staff at the Carriage House for the compassionate care they provided.

In lieu of flowers, those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider the Wishes of the Family.

To sign the online guestbook, please visit www.cremationsocietymidmi.com.