Daniel Webster Brickley, born in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 17, 1935, died peacefully at his Littleton home on August 19, 2024, at the age of 89.

Dan grew up in the small town of Marion, Ohio, where, in 1953, he graduated from Harding High School. In 1957, he graduated from the University of Missouri with a major in classical languages and a minor in English literature. At the University of Colorado, Boulder, he earned a teaching certificate in 1962 and an MA in Modern European History in 1965. Beyond those academic achievements, he was an avid reader with a lifelong interest in knowledge in general and was one of those rare individuals who just plain knew a lot about a lot of things.

Dan's academic background set the stage for his long and outstanding career as an educator. In the Littleton, CO, public schools, he taught the history of Western Civilization, Language Arts, and, whenever the subject was offered, Latin, from 1962 until he retired from full-time teaching in 1993. He soon transitioned to substitute teaching, which he continued until 2010. Dan was the epitome of what a teacher should be – energetic, enthusiastic, effective, and, above all, thoroughly knowledgeable. Over the years, many of his students became his friends, a high tribute to both his dedication to his profession and his love for his students.

Outside the academic world, Dan had a passion for the out-of-doors. Sandwiched around his service in the Army from 1957 to 1960, he spent six summers at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, most of them as a hike master. He took justified pride in the fact that, from 1955 to 2017, he hiked to 470 named Colorado summits and visited about a dozen high points in other states.

Music was also a big part of Dan's life. He began piano lessons when he was five, but he said he was a lazy student because he had the mysterious gift of being able to "learn" a lot of music by ear far more quickly than by faithfully reading all those notes. He often livened family gatherings with his playing and singing, and, for fifteen years, he occasionally performed in Denver area piano bars. Dan was also well- known locally as an entertainer, as he wrote for and performed in nearly 20 productions of Fiasco, a spoof musical comedy about his beloved community of Littleton. Though he generally performed popular music, for relaxation he tended to listen to serious or classical music, and he was an avid opera fan.

As much as he prized teaching, hiking, music, and the pursuit of knowledge, the foremost love of Dan's life was his wife of 62 years, the former Geraldine (Gerre) Gregory, who survives him. They met at the Y-Camp and were married in Estes Park, and they have lived in Littleton since 1962. Together, their great pride was their only child, daughter Elisabeth (Liz) Beindorff, who, with her husband Michael, also survives him. Other surviving family includes two sisters and brothers-in-law, Sara and Robert McCurdy of Parachute and Martha and Russ Hamilton of Thornton, sister-in-law Tracy Brickley of Cape Coral, Florida, and numerous nieces and nephews. Predeceasing Dan were his parents, Daniel and Alice Brickley, his beloved stepmother, Sue Brickley, and his younger brother Scott Brickley.

The family extends heartfelt gratitude to Optio Health Services, Touching Hearts at Home, and The Denver Hospice for their care and kindness through the last several weeks of Dan's life.

An Affirmation of Dan's Life will be held on Wednesday afternoon, September 25, from 2:30-5:00, with brief celebratory remarks given around 3:30 pm. We will host guests at The Pavilion at Hudson Gardens, 6115 South Santa Fe Drive in Littleton, 80120. There is accessible parking and a short walk to the Pavilion from the parking lot. The family asks that you kindly RSVP using this link or email Liz at dwbcelebration.92524@gmail.com .

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Littleton Public Schools Foundation or the Littleton Town Hall Arts Center in his name.