Dana E. Kingan's Obituary
Kingan, Dana E., age 72, of Lebanon and formerly of Waynesville, passed away on Monday, June 23, 2025.
Dana honorably served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. He was a recipient of the Bronze Star for exemplary service during military operations against a hostile force.
Hard-working, Dana worked as a corrections officer at LCI in Lebanon for 20 years before retiring in the late ’90s. He lived a life believing you should be selfless and forgiving, which stemmed from his deep faith in God. Dana was considered the spiritual leader of his friends and family members, and he attended Crossroads Community Church in Mason. With a friendly personality, he was easily able to connect with others.
Full of energy and very family-oriented, he was always trying to find creative activities and ways to have fun with his kids and grandchildren. He was witty, young at heart, and enjoyed interacting with kids, even getting involved in his grandchildren’s TikTok videos. Known as “the fun Dad” by his daughters and “Papa” by his grandchildren, he loved creating family games for their entertainment. While his daughters were growing up, they recalled one exciting time when he created a game from cardboard boxes and duct tape, where the kids had to try to escape - all in the name of fun and adventure. After the grandchildren spent time with Dana, their parents always inquired what unique activity or funny thing he may have said to entertain them, never knowing what to expect, but always knowing that they left with something exciting to share from their time spent with him.
Dana loved being outdoors and especially enjoyed teaching his younger family members about nature, fossils, and the stars and constellations. Taking his grandchildren for explorations into the woods, usually with the dogs along, became cherished memories.
Dana enjoyed challenging himself by running marathons, even qualifying for the Boston Marathon. It became a tradition for Dana and his wife to take their grandkids to the beach, mostly to Ocean Isle in North Carolina, Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Clearwater, Florida. In addition, they enjoyed taking family cruises in the Caribbean. Their cruise excursions usually involved interactions with animals to entertain and educate the kids, although the family always knew that Dana had that youthful energy and loved the experiences just as much as his grandchildren. Somewhat competitive in a fun way, Dana challenged his adult family members, especially his sons-in-law, to slick track races.
Among many things, he will be remembered for being kind, caring, giving, and frugal. He had a clean sense of humor and never spoke ill of anyone. Most importantly, he never missed a moment to tell his family how much he loved each one of them. He greatly enjoyed eating and dining out, always taking the opportunity to share with the waitress how proud he was of his wife and daughters, especially in regard to how beautiful he always felt they were.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Wilford “Bill” and Ivalene Kingan, and one sister, Karen Kingan. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Dawn; two daughters, Andrea (Robert) Hill and Heather (Chris) Kuprionis; four grandchildren, Anna, Eli, Reagan, and Cam; and one brother, Darrell (Sharon) Kingan.
A life celebration service will be held at 1 PM on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, at the Stubbs-Conner Funeral Home in Waynesville. Rick Huff will be officiating the services. Burial will be in Miami Cemetery, Corwin. The family will receive friends from 10 AM to 1 PM on Tuesday at the funeral home. If desired, contributions may be made to The Headstrong Project at www.theheadstrongproject.org, Warrior Weekend to Remember at www.warriorwtr.com, Veterans Social Command (3151 Lytle Rd., Waynesville, Ohio 45068, Attn: Dennis Kearns). Condolences at www.stubbsconner.com.
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