Daniel Edward Egert's Obituary
Daniel Edward Egert was born on August 11, 1946, and from an early age, he understood the value of hard work. Alongside his sisters, Peg and Joyce, Dan helped his parents, Dick and Leora "Bobbie" Egert, run the family motel, cafe, and service station nestled between Mount Vernon and Springfield, Missouri. That foundation of grit and purpose would define everything that followed.
Dan carried that work ethic to Missouri State University, where he was a proud member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, and then into honorable service to his country as a U.S. Army Lieutenant during the Vietnam War. After his service, he returned home to build a civilian life with the same determination, ultimately acquiring and growing three floor care businesses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Dan was, above all, an athlete. He served as captain of his high school football team and, for more than fifty years, running was his constant companion. Well into his seventies, he was still winning races in DFW and Tulsa - a testament not only to his physical discipline but to his unshakeable spirit. Golf held an equal place in his heart, offering him a different kind of satisfaction on the course.
Yet what those who loved Dan will remember most was something harder to measure than a finish time or a handicap. He had an easy, witty, and completely unpretentious way about him that drew people in and kept them close. He never tried to be anything other than exactly who he was - and that was more than enough for everyone fortunate enough to know him.
It was that very quality that caught the attention of Pam Jennings. They married when Dan was 31, and together they built a life rooted in partnership, respect, and love. Dan was fully and enthusiastically supportive of Pam's business endeavors, and his belief in her was one of his quiet but abiding gifts. As "Pop," he was a steady, engaged presence in the life of his son, Chrys - from Indian Guides and coaching football in the early years, to fireside conversations about the Dallas Cowboys and the finer points of libation testing in later ones. He possessed a rare and genuine ability to accept people exactly as they were, without condition or reservation.
In his 80th year, Dan was confronted with an aggressive brain cancer. He faced it the only way he knew how - as an athlete and an optimist. He immediately declared he would be an outlier and outlive the odds through sheer force of exercise and will. In the end, he conceded with characteristic grace and humor: "I outran heart disease, but couldn't cancer." He left this world on February 24, 2026.
Dan is survived by his wife, Pam; his son, Chrys (Heather); his grandchildren, Owen and George; his sister Peg (preceded by her husband, Gene), and her children Brian, John, Jeff, Buck, and Angela; his sister Joyce (John) and her children Jeremiah and Jessica. He is also survived by the extended family who loved him: Pam's brother Charlie (Bonnie); Suzanne's (Neal) children Caren, Carleton, Steven, and Stacey; Charlie's (Ellen) son Alex; Sally's (David) children Katy, Susan, David, and Chris; and Mark's (Linda) children Lisa, Melanie, and Jennifer - along with a cherished circle of great-nieces and nephews and a community of friends who each carry a piece of him forward.
Celebration of Life
Saturday, March 21, 2026 11:00 a.m.
Asbury Church - Mason Chapel
6767 South Mingo Tulsa, Oklahoma
Reception to immediately follow
In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in Dan's memory to:
Glioblastoma Foundation glioblastomafoundation.org
Rose Garden - Tulsa Garden Club tulsagardenclub.org
"Well done, Dan. You will be missed. You won this earthly race."
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