Dan Jarvis

Dan Jarvis February 14, 1926 - March 22, 2010 Dan Jarvis grew up in the hills and "hollers" of West Virginia, one of two sons and a daughter born to share cropper farmers. He learned at an early age how to plow with mules and oxen, handle the teams and do the work of a man, and because of being needed to help at home, left school at an early age. But his education in the ability to think for himself, work things out on his own when there was a problem, and never let anything or anyone deter him from what he wanted to accomplish, would be more important than anything he could have learned in books. Then soon after the United States went to war after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dan enlisted at eighteen in the Navy, for the first time seeing the world outside of where he grew up. One can only imagine what an experience it must have been! Today it would be called "cultural shock". He was in the Asiatic Pacific, European African, American Area, and Philippine Liberation, and at Normandy for the June 6, 1944 invasion of France. Many years later in 2001, he and dozens of other WWII veterans were honored by the French government with the Medal of Freedom at a special ceremony in Phoenix. When honorably discharged in February of 1947, he went back to West Virginia and said goodbye to his folks, and also to the life he'd left there. He made his way West, eventually deciding on Colorado where he got a job on a ranch near Padroni, and began his life's work as a cowboy. He was joined by his brother Gene, who had enlisted in the Navy at seventeen (with false I.D.) so he could be with his brother. They bought a little place together, and between raising a few cattle, working for neighboring ranchers and never taking a day off, paid off their loans and eventually sold the place and made a move to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. This was where, in 1957, he met his wife to be, Carole, who was working there. After a summer courtship, she went back to Arizona to work, and when he finished guiding big game hunters in the Tetons that Fall, he packed his gear in his old IH pickup and came to Wickenburg where they were married in December. During his early years here they lived along the Hassayampa River north of town next to Bowman's Barn, where they bought, sold, boarded and trained horses. Dan was also kept even busier as the only horseshoer around the area, and was appointed State Livestock Inspector for this district, a job he kept for seven years. He and Carole had two daughters, DannaLee and Laura who grew up and went to school in Wickenburg until 1974 when the family made a move to northeastern Oregon, near the little town of Joseph, living there for seventeen years. Dan once more did "day work" for neighboring ranches, ran a few head of cattle himself, and worked for the Forest Service as a heavy equipment operator. As he got older he joked that the winters just got colder and colder, and Arizona again beckoned. So, in 1986 they began coming back here in the winters, Dan once again working for area ranchers here, then going to Oregon and cowboying in the summer. Eventually they made the decision to stay in one place, bought land in the Forepaugh area, and worked on making it into a homeplace. He said this would be the last place he would "put together" and it was a labor of love. He built every fence, every corral, every wagon wheel gate, (six in all) and layed up slump blocks on the entire house. He also learned, that with is wife's help he could be a cowboy poet! That inspired him to begin writing about some of his experiences, adding a little imagination, and soon joined Carole, reciting at poetry gatherings! In 1999 he was honored by receiving the very first Western Heritage Award given by the Wickenburg Chamber of Commerce to an outstanding cowboy poet. He celebrated his 84th birthday on Valentine's Day, reciting poetry for his friends, looking out the window at the green in every direction from all the rains, and declaring, "This is gonna be one of those Springs to remember". Yes, it is. In addition to his partner and love of his life, Carole, Dan leaves his daughter DannaLee, and husband Bruce Keil, grandson Luke Jarvis and wife Reanna and first great-granddaughter Madison, Levi Jarvis, and Seth Jarvis, and daughter Laura Moore and granddaughter, Markanna. A celebration of Dan's life will be held on the Jarvis homeplace, Saturday April 10. All his friends are invited to join family around 11:00 a.m. to share stories and remember a very special man, then enjoy a deep pit roast beef lunch. Please bring a side dish and your chairs.