Danny “Dan” Mac Schell of Lucas, Texas, entered the gates of Heaven and stepped into the arms of Jesus on November 5, 2022 at the age of 69, surrounded by his family. His Kingdom arrival followed a courageously fought six year battle with metastatic prostate cancer.
Dan was born in Altus, Oklahoma in 1953 to Melvin and Marie Schell. At the age of 8, his family moved to Montrose, Colorado where he graduated from Montrose High School in 1971. After high school, Dan went to Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado where he began studying Electrical Engineering. In 1974, Dan transferred to Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona where he met the love of his life, Janice (Jan) Lynne Kendall. They were married at the Church of The Red Rocks in Sedona, Arizona in 1976. That same year, Dan graduated Magna Cum Laude with Honors, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and a minor in Math and Computer Science.
Dan and Jan began their life together in Dallas where Dan worked as an Electrical Engineer in the Semiconductor industry for Texas Instruments from 1976 to 1998. Over his 22 years at T.I., he was selected to lead multiple departments and was responsible for unprecedented levels of growth, including the commercialization of their semiconductor software systems. This division was ultimately acquired by a global investment firm, The Gores Group out of Beverly Hills, California, and they selected Dan to be President and COO of their newly formed company, Adventa Control Technologies. Dan was foundational in the growth and success of Adventa from 1998 to 2009. Dan was a man of integrity with a keen sense for business and was instrumental in assisting the Gores group with various mergers and acquisitions throughout those years. Dan “retired” in 2009, but one of his greatest joys was working alongside his son in his son’s business.
Dan and Jan were blessed to have a daughter, Andrea Lynne in 1981 and a son, Eric Michael in 1983. Dan instilled in his children the importance of hard work, integrity and never giving up. He never missed a dance recital, half-time performance, game or event his kids were involved in. He taught Eric to play the guitar and they loved playing and singing together; it was one of their favorite pastimes.
Dan was a man who always had a smile on his face, even through the most difficult of circumstances. Most importantly, he was a man of quiet, steadfast faith in his Lord, Jesus Christ. He was a loving and devoted husband to Jan for 46 years, and his family was his pride and joy. Dan loved being in nature and admiring God’s glorious creation. He was an avid learner and technology guru who could fix anything. His friends always joked, “if you have a question, go to ‘ask dan dot com’ and he’ll know the answer!” He loved his church and Agape Life Group where he found great joy in serving as the director for 14 years. In their later years, Dan and Jan developed a great love for travel and enjoyed visiting more than 20 countries with close friends. He also loved playing with his grandkids and was always up for a good game of Bridge, Marbles or Enigma.
Dan is survived by his loving wife, Jan and their daughter, Andrea and husband, Jon Rowan of Tyler, Texas, along with his beloved granddaughters, Piper and Landry; his son, Eric and wife, Katie Schell of McKinney, Texas and adored grandsons, Luke and baby boy Schell, due in February; his brother, Gary and wife, Charlene Schell of Tulsa, Oklahoma; his sister, Jan and husband, Don Williams of Great Bend, Kansas and numerous nieces and nephews. Dan was preceded in death by his parents, Melvin and Marie Schell.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Thursday, December 1, 2022 at Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Texas at 12:00pm. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to these Christ-centered ministries that are close to Dan and Jan’s hearts: Real Options Pregnancy Resource Center https://realoptionstx.com/, a non-profit ministry in Allen, Texas; Cottonwood Creek Church in Allen, Texas https://cottonwoodcreek.org/ ; Denton Freedom House in Aubrey, Texas https://dentonfreedomhouse.org/ . Dan will be laid to rest at Turrentine Jackson Morrow Ridgeview Memorial Park in Allen, Texas.