Daniel Whichard, 81, was peacefully called home by his Lord and Savior on October 11, 2021 from his home in Gulfport.

He leaves behind his beloved wife of 52 years Lynn Whichard; his daughter, Amanda Whichard; his brother, Jack Whichard; his in-laws, Janet Wallace, Marlene Cooper, and Harold Sanders; and many nieces and nephews.

Dan was born on April 24, 1940, in Gulfport, MS, son of Katie and Henry Thomas Whichard.  In 1958, he graduated from Gulfport High School and shortly after volunteered for a three-year enlistment in the U.S. Marine Corps. After completion of his military commitment, he attended Mississippi State University, where he graduated with a Bachelors of Science.  Post-graduation, Dan moved to New Orleans where he met the love of his life, Lynn. Dan had a long, successful career in Human Resources, which took his family from Pascagoula, MS, to the greater Houston,TX area, Sterling, IL, and then back to Texas. Dan quickly climbed the corporate ladder at top ship building and steel companies including: Ingalls Shipbuilding, Todd Shipyard, Northwestern Steel and Wire, and JSW Steel Company. He retired from corporate America in 2007. Post retirement, he and his wife Lynn moved back to their home in Gulfport, MS, where he completed his earthly journey.

Dan was a wise man, the spiritual leader of his family and a deacon at his church.  Lovingly referred to as “Dan the Man”, he was a master gardener, a blackbelt in Tae Kwon Do Karate studying under Ishmael Robles, and also a black belt in Tai Chi. He frequently volunteered in the gardens at the Center for the Blind at the VA in Biloxi and at Handsboro Baptist Church in Gulfport.

Dan loved to play sports, watch sports, and fish. Although Dan had macular degeneration and became legally blind later in life, he did not let that stop him from gardening or being “Handy Dan” around the house. He loved to cheer for his New Orleans Saints or Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Dan was funny, kind, generous, and a hard worker. He will be greatly missed by all of those whom he encountered.

Visitation will be on Friday, October 22, 2021, from 9 AM until 11 AM at the RIEMANN FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, 11280 Three Rivers Road, Gulfport. The funeral service will be at 11:00 AM in the funeral home chapel. Military burial to follow at the Biloxi National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Benevolence Fund of Handsboro Baptist Church, 1421 E. Pass Road, Gulfport, MS 39507.