Blog note: As noted below, Taranto was a long-time member of CGJA and served as President in 1996-1998.
Dan
was born in Ohio in 1942 as Daniel Joseph DeSilvio but grew up in Richmond,
Calif. Dan joined the Navy and served on ammo ships during the Viet Nam War.
After honorable discharge, he accompanied a friend to Arcata to check out
Humboldt State University. The friend did not enroll, but Dan did. He earned his
Master’s Degree in Botany at HSU. He developed a new and sophisticated slide
technique for the student lab he staffed there, while developing a world class
collection of slime molds. He adopted his stepfather’s name and was known
locally as Dan Taranto.
Dan
bought, rehabbed and managed many properties over the years. He was proud to
provide affordable housing to many students and “working folks”, many of whom
became lifelong friends. His home base was his beloved acreage in Fieldbrook.
He was active in the United Stand organization and instrumental in the creation
of the Alternative Owner Builder (AOB) program. He served on several County
Housing Element Committees over the years.
A major focus of his volunteer efforts was service on the
Humboldt County Grand Jury, where he reorganized its function, and later did
the same for the California Grand Jurors’ Association as State President. As
president, he advocated for permanent Jury reports filed in state archives,
support and training for incoming jurors and other reforms. He worked with
then-Senator Quintin Kopp to pass state legislation requiring all counties to
respond in writing to local jury findings. His local Jury instituted a
requirement for a written response. Dan paid for an insert in the local paper
and personally delivered stacks of it throughout Humboldt County. In his
further quest for government transparency, he personally installed the first
video camera in the Supervisor’s Chambers, which came as quite a surprise to
some of the Supervisors and staff!
Dan
was a man of great intellect with wide and varied interests. He crewed on
sailboats from Canada to Mexico, owned some of historical significance, and was
a member of the Humboldt Yacht Club. He raised an assortment of plants and
animals, most notably sheep, goats and his Watutsi livestock. He had a vast
collection of books encompassing science, history, astronomy, religion and
literature. Dan volunteered with the Westhaven and Fieldbrook Fire Departments.
He was an early and active member of the League of Women Voters of Humboldt
County where he participated in a number of local studies. He volunteered
yearly for the Jazz Festival and loved Blues by the Bay. He was known to be a
hard worker, well liked and respected by a wide swath of people.
With
no prior music experience, Dan started tango lessons at age 68. He dove in
“with both feet”, practicing, recording the music, travelling locally and to
Mexico to take workshops and dancing in the yearly Student Showcase. He became
quite good at the art. His dancing days ended when he had a stroke, but he
continued watching hours of tango on line and attending local dance events. He
made many friends in the tango community.
Dan
passed on January 14, 2021 from complications of the stroke. He was preceded in
death by his mother Barbara and stepfather, Frank Taranto, and his brother Mark
Taranto. He is survived by his brother Richard Taranto and nieces Lacey and
Logan Taranto, former spouse Kathy Kistler, and numerous friends and distant
relatives. Thanks and appreciation go to the Staff of Frye’s Care home and the
many good and faithful friends who supported Dan.
His
niece, Logan, wrote the following tribute to her uncle: Dan Taranto was my
uncle and one of the greatest men I have known. He was so knowledgeable and I
was so lucky that he shared a lot of that with me. We lived five hours away
from each other, so we kept in contact through phone calls which lasted for
hours. I will cherish those phone calls and all the things I learned from him.
My uncle loved when our family would visit at his beautiful property in
Humboldt with all the amazing redwood trees. He made three ponds and stocked
them with fish so we could go fishing. As a little girl I remember running
through the grassy meadow, making flower headbands and just enjoying nature as
much as my uncle did. I would get so excited when he would come to the Bay Area
to visit us. The last time he was supposed to come, he didn’t show up nor call.
That wasn’t like him so I knew something was wrong. I called the Highway patrol
and then the Sheriff’s office. They found he had had a stroke and got him to
the hospital. After a long recovery period, he asked that I come be his
caregiver and that’s just what I did. I felt honored that he asked me. The time
I got to spend with him is unforgettable. I loved my uncle very much. I know
that he is now dancing tango in Heaven or guiding his sailboat through the
clouds.
From
Dan’s niece, Lacey: My Uncle was a very special man, not only was he every word
and more that is listed above but he was kind, caring and great with his hands.
He amazed me at the things he could build. When I was little he built a 2 story
playhouse for me! Yes, a 2 story playhouse fully equipped with a bay window,
carpet, 3 different rooms, a secret latch door for the upstairs and my name
engraved at the front door. To say the least he was amazing. He will be very
missed and remembered forever by so many people.
In
the words of Rick Taranto, Dan’s brother: I have never met a man with more
integrity and he will be deeply missed.
There
will be a “gathering” of Dan’s friends sometime during the summer of 2021.
Lost
Coast Output
The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Dan Taranto’s loved ones.
January 30, 2021
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