Daniel
(Dan) C. Haskin, 49, a lifelong Williston resident, passed away Friday
evening, October 24, 2003, in the loving hands and care of his family,
at the Mercy Medical Center, Williston.
A memorial service celebrating Dan’s life was held Wednesday
afternoon, October 29, 2003, at The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church,
Williston at 2:00 PM.
Rev. April Peterson officiated...
Danny
passed away at about 4:30 p.m. Surrounding him were his family and
friends. They were playing for him a Balderdash CD and after the last
song was over he left us. Please keep his wife Monica and his children
in your thoughts and prayers as they will need it for strength.
Mick Soiseth writes:
I guess you all know now that Danny is gone. I was out of town playing but
I did see him that day and got a chance to say goodbye to him. It was hard
to see him in that awful condition. I'm glad his suffering is over now.. As
you could guess this has been really tough on his family. They were all there
for him right till the end.. They've been through the mill with all this..
Somehow I'm still having a hard time grasping the fact that he's gone, I guess
it'll hit me sooner or later.
Some
thoughts about Danny,
When
I was 16 I though I was a pretty good guitar player. Then I heard
about this young 14 year old kid by the name of Danny Haskin who was
supposed
to be
pretty good.. Finally one day I heard him jam with Tom Hotchkiss
and Bob Cecil on Tom's back porch. My jaw dropped, my knees weakened
and I knew I would never be able to play as good as this kid. I
also knew I wanted
to be in a band with him.
Eventually it happened and I had the privilege to get to play with
a great guitarist and friend by the name of Danny Haskin for most
of 31
years.
We had different personalities. I was the structured guy with the
arrangements and he was the creative improviser who could fill it
up and decorate the
songs with style. Somehow the combination worked. With Tom Hotchkiss
on bass and
a lot of other talented guys through the years we made a lot of music.
We went through a lot of good times and bad times together. Setting
up, tearing down, braving terrible weather and road conditions, red
necks
who hassled us
for our long hair, people who loved us and people who hated us. Sometimes
playing to thousands of people and sometimes playing to mostly tables
and chairs. Danny
was there by my side on many a road trip, keeping me awake on the late
night long drives home. There wasn't much we didn't talk
about on those nights.
Like a lot of good musicians and artists Danny was a bit eccentric.
He sometimes had unconventional ways of doing things but he'd make
it work, he'd
get it done. For eccentric musicians it's sometimes hard to be understood
by regular non-musical folks. But Danny never put on airs. He was who
he was. When I used to worry if our music was right he would always
say "Let's
just play what we play" and that's what we did.
But Danny was so much more than just a great guitarist. He would amaze
me with his skills and knowledge of carpentry, mechanics, auto body
work, oilfield
work and later some technical dental work. There wasn't much Danny
couldn't
do.
He also amazed me with his parenting skills. He had patience with kids
that any parent would admire. He had the ability to make complicated
situations simple. He was a loving husband and a gentle, understanding
and loving
father.
When Danny finally had to leave the band because of his health we had
to find other musicians to play and carry on but he was never replaced
and
never could
be. In my mind he was a legend. I'll miss him terribly and his memory
will live on. He's gone but will never be forgotten.
Mick
Kyle
Baarstad writes:
I will truly miss Danny. He not only was the BEST guitar player that I had
ever performed with,
he was also a good friend. On our road trips we would have long discussions
about everything from music to philosophy to raising kids. He taught me more
about music and life than he will ever know. While Mick and I were visiting
Danny the weekend before his death, I said to Danny as we were
leaving, "The
next time I come to visit, I want it to be at your home." I believe he
did finally make it Home after all.. I often listen to the recordings I made
while Danny was our guitar player, it brings back a flood of good memories
for me. This is the way I prefer to remember Dan.
Kyle
Brent
Corbin writes:
Let me start by saying that I never
knew Danny personally but had the great pleasure of seeing him perform
with Balderdash on a few occasions in the
mid 90's. I was literally in awe of the sounds coming from the stage.
From the
amazing tone of his guitar to the way he seemed to fill up the room with
sound, I could tell right away this guy knew his way around the 6-string
guitar like no other. He blew me away with his talent. Almost 10 years
later
I get an email out of the blue from Mick asking if I would be interested
in jammin' with him and Kyle. We did and it went well, very well, and
so here I am in the Balderdash Band now. I have to say I am humbled to
be a part of
this new stage of the Balderdash Band. Danny, Mick, and Kyle created
the fire and I will help carry the torch in Danny's honor for as long
as they will let me.
Brent |
