Daniel McAtee

Daniel A. McAtee, a Casper native passed away at the Central Wyoming Hospice at the age of 85 on January 12, 2011 after a prolonged illness. Dan, or "Mac" as he was known to many, was the first born of Paul D. and Katherine (Zeller) McAtee and arrived in Casper on October 29, 1925. He attended Grant Elementary School where he excelled at track. At the age of 16, he left Casper to attend an aviation mechanical trade school in Ogden, UT. Upon graduation he enlisted in the Army Air Corp and was initially stationed at Hickam Airfield in Hawaii where he maintained P-51 's and P-47's. He completed his tour of duty on the island of Guam during the last part of the war. After returning to Casper he earned his high school diploma while working at the Casper Airbase as a surveyor and draftsman. He then attended classes at Casper College while he and his mother started Casper's first cycle shop and toy store .In 1949 he briefly left Casper on his Indian "cycle" to attend Georgia Tech and try out for the football team. Upon his return he joined the Casper Fire Department and continued to run Mac's Cycle and Toy Store. Dan retired from the CFD as an Assistant Chief. After selling his business in the late 60's he operated heavy equipment for Forgey Construction. He helped construct roads throughout Wyoming and removed overburden at the Shirley Basin uranium mines. In April of 1952, he eloped to Fort Collins with Anne Goodrich of Casper. After their honeymoon weekend he dropped her off at her sorority house in Laramie to continue her education and came back to Casper. Lifelong interests included airplanes, motorcycles and anything to do with machinery and construction. In the late 50's he competed in the famous Big Bear Desert motorcycle race on his new Ariel motorcycle. He was one of the small percentages that completed the race. Dan later competed in the 24 hour enduro held at Poison Spider School as a solo entrant. After his retirement, he volunteered for Meals on Wheels, became a Master Gardener read Louis L' Amour, built a new workshop, fished with old firemen buddies, and traveled with his dog Blue. Being civic minded he would drop by various city offices to express his opinions and offer advice. Daniel was preceded in death by his beloved wife Anne, parents, and younger brother Tom. He is survived by his children Leon and wife Anna, Mark and wife Kim, Margaret and husband Juan, all of Casper, Thomas and wife Jana currently stationed in Germany with the USN, and John and his wife Kim of Charleston, Sc., 12 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren. He is also survived by brothers Sam, David and sister Alexandria of Casper, and brother James of Anaheim, Ca. Cremation has taken place and there will be a service at 10:00 AM Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at the Oregon Trail Veteran's Cemetery. Military honors will be accorded by the Natrona County United Veterans Council and the Wyoming Army National Guard. Memorials may be made to Meals on Wheels or the Central Wyoming Hospice. To read or contribute other stories about Daniels life, please visit his Facebook page. http://tinyurl.com/48p2sys