Dan E. Clyburn, 76, died Jan. 13, 2014, in Homer. A celebration of life is 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 25, 2014, at the Homer Elks Lodge. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hospice of Homer.
Dan was born in Siskiyou County, Calif., on Feb. 24, 1937, to Thomas and Gladys Clyburn. He was one of eight children. His siblings were Bud, Tomma, Patsy, Dave, Paul, Dorthy and Jeannie. He spent his childhood roaming the woods of northern California searching for adventure. Dan was always a hard worker. He helped support the family by working at the local sawmill, starting out when he was 15, learning skills he would carry his entire life. Dan worked many trades, from equipment operating to mechanicing and home building. He could fix anything, from large diesel engines to the smallest of electric motors. If he couldn’t fix it with the tools he had, he would engineer and build the tools he needed to get the job done.
Dan resided in northern California with his wife, Marcie. He was one of the founding members of the Jed Smith Mountain Man Club, and he belonged to it for 35 years, where he would build black powder rifles and compete in competitions. Dan was a crack shot, often winning competitions alongside Marcie.
In March of 1994, Dan and Marcie moved to Homer, where they built their beautiful home together overlooking Kachemak Bay. Dan enjoyed many hobbies, including gardening, tree grafting, fishing, hunting, four-wheeling, golfing with his neighbor Bob, writing short stories and building black powder rifles. As Dan grew older and wasn’t able to mechanic as much, he turned to working on computers. He was always ready for a challenge. If a friend or family member needed help, he would gladly lend a hand. His skills and knowledge were greatly appreciated by all.
Dan’s children are Daniel Clyburn, Lisa Clyburn, Susan Stewart, Tammy Jones, Tommy Desavedo, Debbie Desavedo, Carol Seal and Brian Seal. His grandchildren are Sierra Holleman; Kasey Holleman; Victoria Capps; Cameron Stewart; Robin Hicks; Chelsea Horn; Brody, Matthew and Richard Jones; Christina Busch Wood; Levi Busch; Shawny Darby; Sara Wierleske; Jaime and Max Desavedo; Amy Eslinger; Traci Greer; Derik Brooks and Jessica Seal. He had 27 great-grandchildren.
