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Martin James “Jim” Dann, III of DeWitt, IL was at his family residence when he went home to Heaven at 11:45 A.M. on June 30, 2026.
A visitation will be from 9-11 A.M. at First Christian Church, Clinton, IL on Monday, July 06, 2026. Nick Striegel and Richard Weese will officiate the funeral at 11 A.M. Arrangements have been entrusted to Calvert Funeral Home in Clinton, Illinois.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Dana M. Dann, Dewitt, IL; daughter, Hannah (Joe) Harrold, Lane, IL; grandchildren who loved their Abu as much as he loved them, Makenna Harrold, Cooper Harrold; siblings Marcie (Russ) Heisel, Bloomington, IL, Lori Gulley, Farmer City, IL, Jeff (Dale) DannHeuser, Peoria, AZ, Jon (Rebecca) Byler Dann, Washington, IL; mother-in-law Darlene Hartloff; sister-in-law Julie Follis; and many nieces and nephews.
Jim was born July 3,1962 in Bradford, Pennsylvania to Martin James and Joyce (Stalker) Dann Jr. True to the man he would become, Jim arrived early. It was the first indication he would spend a lifetime doing hard things with quiet determination. Born prematurely with cerebral palsy, he learned to walk in braces, later faced cancer twice, and lived with chronic pain for decades. Yet those closest to him remember not the suffering he endured, but the remarkable absence of complaint.
He married his college sweetheart, Dana M. Hartloff, on June 15, 1985, in Plainfield, Indiana. For more than four decades, she was his home, his confidante, and his faithful partner in ministry. Jim poured his life into the service of others, seeking to leave people more united than he found them.
Over the years, Jim served as youth minister to Stateline Christian Church in Blanford, Indiana; Highview Christian Church in Washington, Illinois; and Oblong Christian Church in Oblong, Illinois. He later served as minister to Northview Christian Church in Huntington, Indiana; Lane Christian Church in Lane, Illinois; and Liberty Christian Church in Brownstown, Illinois.
He was an adjunct Professor of Greek at Lincoln Christian College, a Board Member and Relief House Parent for Oblong Christian Children's Home, a Board Member and Camp Dean for Little Galilee Christian Camp, a leader within the Clinton Area Ministerial Association, and a mentor to whoever would pull up a chair and chat. Most recently, he was a Patient Advocate for Nutrition Response Testing at Farmer City Chiropractic and Skinner Health Improvement Center.
Jim was preceded in death by his parents, his father-in-law, Robert Hartloff, and two brothers he never had the chance to meet on earth, one of whom was his twin.
If you wish to follow in Jim's faithful, albeit crooked footsteps, crack a joke people aren't sure they should laugh at, and then laugh first. Read a book that makes you think, one hundred pages a day is a good start. Fix something before anyone notices it’s broken. Make french toast. Shoot a bow. Swim a mile. Pray. Cry over Folgers commercials, the miracle of forgiveness, and any movie with a little girl. Watch Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis from the armchair of your choice. Sing out loud, but only remember the last two words of every line of every song. Steal a kid's nose. Steal a kid’s heart. Look people in the eye and call them “kiddo”. Let them have a third chance. Be early always, and patient with your daughter when she’s always late. Do the dishes. Buy a Jeep. Catch a fish. Shoot another grown man with a water gun. Tickle him if you must. Giggle. Challenge somebody who loves a debate. Learn to let them challenge you back. Drink too much coffee. Top your ice cream with icing, or, if you're feeling dangerous, shredded cheddar cheese. Write your wife a poem and frame it on the wall. Believe in her dreams. Help her build them. Show up for your kid, for your neighbor, for the cashier you met five minutes ago. Be stubborn about what you believe in. Think of death without a flinch of fear.
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