Daniel N. Leahy, 64, Rice

February 10, 1961 – June 28, 2025

A Celebration of Life service for Daniel Nolan Leahy, age 64, of Rice will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 19, 2025 at Shepherd of the Pines Lutheran Church in Rice. Dan passed away on June 28, 2025 after suffering a heart attack while clearing a fallen tree from the road in front of his home. Pastor Mark Marxhausen will officiate.

Visitation will be held on Friday, July 18th from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and one hour prior to the service on Saturday, all at Shepherd of the Pines Church in Rice. Arrangements are with the Daniel Funeral Home in St. Cloud.

Dan was born on February 10th, 1961 in Albany, New York, to John and Barbara (Hungerford). Dan was the oldest of five siblings and leader of mischievous adventure!

After college, Dan made his way to St. Cloud, Minnesota, where he met the love of his life, Denise Zimmerman. Dan and Denise were married in August 1984. Through a series of fortunate events, they found a beautiful place in the woods near Opole, Minnesota, and settled in. Over the next forty years, they raised chickens and children, built a life and home they loved, and became deeply connected to their community.

Dan was employed at the paper mill in Sartell, MN, for most of his working life. After the mill permanently closed in 2012, Dan retooled himself and transitioned to Network Administrator for Morrison County, where he was currently employed. Ever the industrious fixer, Dan met life’s challenges—be they major career shifts, unrelenting car troubles, deciding how best to outfit his tanks in World of Tanks, or anything in between—with quiet ingenuity, selective patience, and an uncanny ability to figure anything out… often with a roll of duct tape.

Dan was the life of the party without ever trying to be—fun, funny, and full of it. Whether it was sitting around campfires with family, on semi-annual canoe trips with his Boundary Waters buddies, or at the deer hunting shack with his sons and extended family, Dan was either telling stories or becoming one. Diagnosed with cancer in recent years, he underwent chemotherapy, but it didn’t slow him down or change his outlook on life. He reminded all of us that life doesn’t have to be picture-perfect to be wonderful.

Dan was preceded in death by his father Jack and his mother Bobbi, both passing earlier this year. He is survived by his wife of 40 years Denise; daughter Stephanie (Aaron) VanRheen of Portland, Oregon and their children Isaac, Nathan, and Evelyn; son Eric (Alex) of Waite Park, MN; and son Benjamin of Deer River, MN. He is also survived by his siblings Tim (Renae); John [Clancy] (Lorraine); Mike (Luann); and Megan (Stanton) and father and mother-in-law, Gary (Sue) Zimmerman; brother and sister-in-laws Doug (Anne) Zimmerman and Colin (Wendy) Lundgren, as well as many nieces and nephews on both sides of the family.

In honor of Dan’s memory, the family invites you to consider a memorial gift to Helping Hands Outreach.