Danny Wayne Chaney

Danny Wayne Chaney, age 64, of Ponca City, Oklahoma

Danny Wayne Chaney, 64, of Ponca City, Oklahoma, went to be with his Lord and Savior surrounded by his family on Monday, September 25th, 2023. Danny was born in Ponca City, Oklahoma on February 19th, 1959, to Gerald and Lolita Chaney.

Growing up, Danny loved to spend time with his family and friends. He enjoyed music, wildlife, and time outdoors as much as possible. Danny was a natural at working with his hands, and throughout his childhood, he learned the craft of welding from his father Gerald. He worked at the Ponca City Bowling Alley and was an avid and successful bowler. Danny attended Ponca City High School. While in high school, he  attended Pioneer Technology Center where he obtained certifications to work as an electrician. He graduated from Ponca City High School in 1977.

Danny married his best friend and the love of his life, Candy, on July 30th, 1977, in Ponca City, Oklahoma. They were married for 46 years. Danny and Candy made their forever home in Ponca City, Oklahoma, and later retired and lived in Branson, Missouri. They loved to spend quality time together doing their favorite things. Danny and Candy shared a love of music and attended classic rock concerts whenever possible. Candy also loved to support Danny and his band at their performances and shows. Another favorite pastime they shared was gardening. This was a hobby Danny adopted from his parents and grandparents, and he kept that hobby alive with his family. Each year Danny and Candy would plant gardens together and care for them throughout the season. They loved to go on picnics together and dance in the kitchen to old Hank Williams songs. Danny and Candy loved to take vacations and road trips together, and then later in life did the same with their children. Together they had three children, Damon, Cerena, and Dylan. Perhaps their favorite thing to do together was spend time with their children and support them in all of their endeavors. They loved making memories and spending quality time with their children and were so proud of all of them. Danny and Candy shared a love that was incredibly special and defied all odds. Together they had a love and a true friendship that conquered everything life threw at them.

Danny began working for Smith Tool in 1977 as a Hardfacer. He was a dedicated employee and served at Smith Tool for 23 years. Danny was a talented welder, and a true team player. He was hard working, was dedicated, and loved what he did. He made many lifelong friendships during his time at Smith Tool. Danny was not just a welder, or just an employee, he was a talented and dedicated craftsman who cared deeply about his work but cared more about the people he worked with.

Danny had many hobbies that he was passionate about. He was a music enthusiast, but especially loved classic rock. He enjoyed attending concerts, music festivals, and performances with his band in his younger years. He owned over 6,000 vinyl albums and loved listening to them and sharing them with his family and friends. Danny was a talented bowler and bowled in leagues at the Ponca City Bowling Alley for nearly 15 years. He was also an avid outdoorsman. Danny loved to fish, hunt, and go camping whenever he got the chance. He loved the outdoors so much, a staple in his closet was his hunting camo and camo hats. Danny loved spending time out on the family farm, especially with his cousins and his children. Another great love of Danny’s was sports, but specifically OU Football. Any given Saturday you could find him cheering on the Sooners and wearing his other closet staple: an OU T-shirt and ballcap. Danny was an incredible cook, and loved to host family get-togethers, holidays, and parties. He made sure that everyone left his house with a full stomach and leftovers to take home. He was also a talented writer. Danny loved to write notes and poems each day to his family members. He left them on the kitchen counter, on top of the coffee maker, in his kids’ lunchboxes, their backpacks, and just about anywhere he thought it would brighten someone’s day. Danny wore many hats: soccer coach, dance dad, Cub Scout troop leader, pageant dad, football dad, and the list goes on.

Some of his favorite hobbies were being involved in his kids’ activities and supporting them to the fullest extent. Above all, Danny’s favorite pastime was his time spent with his Heavenly Father. He was very involved with his church and loved to serve in any way he could. Danny led adult Sunday school and Bible studies, but his favorite was youth group. Children of all ages loved Danny and gravitated toward his kind spirit. He met them where they were and loved them unconditionally. Danny loved to share his testimony with others and was a servant of the Lord. He loved to be like Jesus to people any chance he got.

Although Danny had many hobbies and a career that he loved, his true passion was his family and loved ones. Danny loved spending time with family in any way that he could. He would host holiday get-togethers at Christmas and Thanksgiving and enjoyed having everyone over at his house to celebrate. Danny attended every birthday party, graduation, wedding, family reunion, and any other important life event. He was always present at family gatherings, no matter how big or small. Danny always showed up for the people he loved. He was so invested in the lives of the people he loved, but especially his children. Danny loved to spend time with his oldest son Damon. The two had an incredible bond, understood each other, and shared many wonderful adventures together. Danny took Damon to his first concert at the age of six to see Willie Nelson and held him up to make sure he could see the entire time. They always shared a mutual love of music, the outdoors, and working with their hands. They went on camping trips to Lake Keystone, stayed at the KOA campgrounds and went to Whitewater and Frontier City. They loved going to the Omniplex, the zoo, and just about any festival they could to go and have fun together. Damon also remembers the ‘everyday’ things such as his dad playing basketball with him and his friends after school, or his dad picking him up when he didn’t have a car, so he didn’t have to ride the bus home. The two enjoyed hunting and fishing together whenever they got the chance. Damon remembers every Christmas, birthday, and holiday he would always get “more than he deserved.” Damon’s senior year of high school, Danny took him and some friends to Wichita for a Collective Soul concert, and it was a memorable and adventurous trip for both of them. The two loved to make memories together, and Damon learned so much from his dad along the way. He recalls that learning life lessons from his dad was the best part of all the adventures: “Treat others how you want to be treated, leave things better than you found them, and if you’re going to do something you do it once and you do it right.” Damon remembers his dad always being there for him, and is so grateful for all the memories and time they shared.

Danny loved to spend time with his daughter Cerena. Danny and Cerena shared a father-daughter bond like no other. They shared a mutual love of sports, music, the outdoors, and anyway they could spend time together. Danny was a proud “girl dad,” and nothing was ever too girly or too frilly for him to take part in. When Cerena was growing up, Danny could always be seen at her pageants, dance recitals, piano recitals, and choir concerts. He attended every track meet, football and basketball game, and school event possible. Cerena always remembers hearing her dad’s whistle in the crowd when she was performing; he was her number one fan. Cerena and Danny loved to watch sports together, but their favorite thing was driving to Norman for OU football and basketball games. Danny would take Cerena shopping and would always stick around the living room fashion show where she showed him all the things she had picked out. Cerena remembers whenever she needed something fixed, something built, or just needed something taken care of, she would call her dad. Whether it was a car problem, she needed a shelf built for her college dorm room, or just needed someone to listen, her dad always showed up for her. The two used to talk on the phone every day for hours about what was going on, family and friends, sports, and everything in between. Cerena remembers that no matter what she and her dad were doing, she was always learning from him. Some of her favorite lessons include “You do what you say you’re going to do, you’re only as good as your word. No dreams of yours are too big or too crazy as long as you’re willing to work for them. Be like Jesus to someone whenever you get the chance.” Danny was larger than life to Cerena and she will always remember him as her hero and cherish everything she learned from him.

Danny loved to spend time with his youngest son Dylan. Dylan and Danny had a one-of-a-kind bond and friendship. They loved spending time together and shared a mutual love of so many things: music, movies, the outdoors, and as Dylan would put it “fixing stuff.” Danny was Dylan’s soccer coach and Cub Scout troop leader growing up. They would practice soccer drills, build pinewood derby cars, and Danny even homeschooled Dylan for a few years. The two loved to go fishing and hunting together and take camping trips whenever possible. They loved listening to Danny’s vinyl record collection and going to concerts together when they got the chance. The two could often be seen sitting on the back porch or out in the shop having conversations for hours on end. They would have deep conversations about life and always listened and learned from one another. Dylan remembers his favorite moments with his dad usually including “fixing stuff,” whether it was a car, an A/C unit, a refrigerator, it didn’t matter to them. Dylan recalls that it was less about the stuff getting fixed, but more about what his dad taught him along the way: “You don’t give up on something just because it seems broken. You don’t give up just because you couldn’t figure it out the first time.” Dylan loved learning from his dad more than anything, and he will cherish the memories and lessons forever. Danny always said his greatest accomplishments in life were not his career, money, or possessions; the greatest accomplishments in his life were his family and the people he loved.

Danny was strong, genuine, dependable, and above all, selfless. He could always be seen doing something for someone else, and never putting himself first. Danny was extremely thoughtful and considerate of everyone. He never hesitated to help those in need, simply because it was the right thing to do. Danny was encouraging, gentle, and kind-hearted. He went out of his way to make those around him feel safe, special, and loved. Danny was someone you knew you could trust and depend on. He was always there to celebrate your success and would be the first one to pick you up when you fell. Danny showed up in big ways for the people he loved. He was a constant source of encouragement, love, and support. Danny had the heart of a servant, and it was so evident in the way he loved others. His treatment and care of others was admirable, and he loved others without bounds. Danny lived each day with gratitude in his heart, compassion for strangers, and most of all, unwavering love for those around him. Anyone who knew and was loved by him was much better for it, and the world is a better place because he was in it. Any words that could be written or spoken pale in comparison to the character of the man that Danny was, and all who knew him would agree. Danny was thevery best of the best, and he will live on in the lessons he taught, the words he wrote, and most importantly in the lives of those he touched forever.

Danny is survived by his wife Candy Chaney, eldest son Damon (Ashley) Chaney, daughter Cerena Chaney, youngest son Dylan Chaney, and sister Lori Chaney. He is also survived by numerous cousins, aunts,uncles, family, and close friends. Danny is preceded in death by his father Gerald Chaney, his mother Lolita Chaney, his grandparents Omer and Lorena Chaney, and grandparents Jim and Leta Viola Tewell. A Memorial

Service will be held at Osage Heights Baptist Church at 142 Tapp Rd. in Ponca City, OK on Saturday, October 21st at 2:00 p.m. In the words of Danny, “It is well.”

Arrangements and cremation are under the direction of Cremations of the Ozarks. To leave an online condolence or a memory, please visit www.cremationsoftheozarks.com.