Daniel E. Blomquist

Daniel was born September 24 1935 in Iron Mountain, Michigan, He was the son of the late Edwin M. and Pauline (Daniel) Blomquist. He was a 1953 graduate of Felch High School and went on to serve his country in the US Army based in Alaska. He returned home after his service and received a Bachelor of Education degree from Northern Michigan University in 1962 and a Master of Library Science from the University of Michigan in 1966.

Daniel was the Regional Education Media Center (REMC) Director for District 21 for many years. His role was to provide media and technology to schools across the Upper Peninsula. He successfully wrote State Grants to provide much-needed technology to the area including radios for school buses and ushering in the new world of Personal Computers by getting PCs into schools. He enjoyed spending time with his family traveling extensively across the United States and Canada when they were young. Later he enjoyed traveling to the South for the Winter with his beloved wife and dog where they would gain close new friends.

He was well known for his quick wit, gift to make people feel at ease, and his mastery of vocabulary which allowed him to give vent to his grandiloquent, bi-extraneous bombastic circumlocutions. He appeared to have friends everywhere he went and if he couldn’t find any he would quickly make new ones on the spot by talking to everyone he passed and throwing them a nice compliment. Daniel was also a fantastic librarian and drilled the Dewey Decimal System into his children’s brains which is now sadly a rarely used tool. Finally, he loved to be outdoors where he would enjoy “drowning worms” also known as failing to catch fish.

He is preceded by his wife Shirley A. (Anderson) Blomquist, whom he married on August 29, 1959, in Crystal Falls; his sisters Dee (Blomquist) (Elroy) Mattson of Felch; Donna (Blomquist) (Jack) Cootware of Ralph; and Brother-in-law Roger Adams. He is survived by children, Kris (Stanton) Hough of Marquette, Daniel P. Blomquist of Ypsilanti, MI and David (Stacie) Blomquist of Marquette; grandchildren, Katelyn (Michelle Grant) and Megan Hough (Dylan Droptiny), Alyssa Blomquist, Lauren (Mitchell) Keefer and Rhys Kucera; brother, David (MaryLou) Blomquist, sister Dianne (Blomquist) Adams both from Marquette; Brother-in-law Duane (Laverne) Anderson; nieces, nephews & cousins; sister & brother-in-law; beloved dog, Sadie; and Special Friend, Ida Nord.

A memorial service will be held at a later date in warmer weather when travel is safer and will be announced by Canale-Tonella Funeral Home and Cremation Services where memories may be shared at canalefuneral.com.