Daniel R. Greeley

Belchertown--Daniel R. Greeley, 71, of Belchertown, MA, passed away Wednesday, December 16, 2020 at his home, surrounded by his loving family. He was a true warrior and battled colon cancer for 3 years. He was born in Auburn, NY on December 5, 1949, the son of the late Joseph and Virginia (Ceratt) Greeley. He is survived by his best friend/devoted caretaker/wife of 30 years, Carol, and his seven children; Kristina Willis and her husband, David; Rebecca Ballinger and her husband, Garrett; David Greeley and his wife, Aimee; Sara Greeley and her partner, Prudence Doty; Ryan Greeley and his wife, Nicole; Tyler Greeley and his fiancé, Zachary Kinsley; Travis Greeley and his wife, Lauren; and his eight grandchildren: Michelle, Brianna, Nicholas, Hudson, Maverick, Raffael, Mikaila, and Tessa. In addition, Dan leaves behind his sisters Karen Schutt and her husband, Bill; Deborah Paul and her husband, Steve, and several nieces and nephews all of whom he loved dearly. Dan graduated from Jordan-Elbridge High School in 1967. He was a US Navy submarine veteran who, as he would say, was a “deep-diving, death-defying submariner.” He had a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and was a retired (2014) Chief Technology Officer with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Dan recently received his 10 year pin as a Scentsy Independent Consultant. He was a volunteer, fundraiser, team captain and Event Leadership Team member at American Cancer Society (ACS) Quaboag Valley Relay for Life. Dan was a very social person and active on social media. He used this platform to keep in contact with friends and family, to promote awareness for his ACS relay for life team, and to work his beloved Scentsy business. To quote his Facebook page, he was “just a guy trying to do good and to make a positive difference in someone’s life, at least “his” kids”. The overwhelming responses and outpouring of love and stories since his passing has proven that he has in fact made that difference in many lives. After Dan was diagnosed with stage IIIC colon cancer, he made it his mission to bring awareness to the importance of getting early screening. Every video he posted on social media or bid he made for donations to his Relay for Life Team with the Quaboag Valley Relay for Life, ended with, “Get screened, early detection saves lives!”. This year, Dan was awarded the Sandra C. Labaree Volunteer Values award from the American Cancer Society for his astounding dedication, fundraising, and volunteer efforts. Services to celebrate Dan’s life will be held at a later date at his home in Belchertown, MA. He will then be laid to rest, with full military honors, at The New Hampshire State Veterans Cemetery in Boscawen, NH alongside his parents. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to Dan’s Relay for Life team at: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/DanGreeleyTeam