Dana C. Givens

Age 54, of Lansing, passed away December 10, 2012.  He was born November 29, 1958, in Harrisburg, IL. Dana lived life to its fullest, wore a smile on his face that could brighten even the darkest of rooms and his laughter was one of kind, infusing joy in anyone who could hear it’s unique sound.  Dana would do for others before ever thinking about himself, willing to give you the shirt off his back and the last dollar in his pocket.  He was known for his tireless work ethic, a larger than life personality and passion for his favorite sports teams. A lifelong Michigan State Spartan, St. Louis Cardinal and Dallas Cowboy; he will be sorely missed, however his love will carry on in our thoughts and memories forever.

Dana worked as a courier for Loomis Law Firm for 26 years.  Surviving are:  his wife of 29 years, Debra; sons, Justin and Raymond; granddaughter, Justice; his mother, Doris Givens; brothers, Mark, Randy, Jody and Robert; sisters, Gail, Andrea and Rosemary; and many nieces and nephews.

The funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, December 15, 2012, at the Estes-Leadley Greater Lansing Chapel.  The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 1:00 p.m. until service time.  Memorial contributions may be made to Sparrow Oncology in memory of Dana Givens.

Print Obituary

16 Messages to “Dana C. Givens

Print Messages
Cheryl J. Bixby
December 12, 2012 at 7:04 am

To the family and friends of Dana, With our deepest & heartfelt sympathy:

Dana will be forever remembered as a friend and a “smile creator”. His presence warmed the room upon his entrance and his uplifting personality brightened each day.

My husband and Dana would see each other at State offices over the years and they developed a close friendship that was filled with laughter! Two grown men over 6′ tall, created their own “comedy team” which was featured at State of Michigan offices for the enjoyment of the State employees and for the enjoyment of each other, which transpired over the course of many years!

Dana has touched our lives and his memory will live on in our hearts & minds. Although his time here was short and he will be missed beyond measure, the impact that he made on each of our lives (and many others) was monumental. We feel blessed to have known him.

May the Lord comfort each of you and may He wrap his loving arms around your family as you walk thru this most difficult journey.

With Love and Prayers,

Cheryl & Toby Bixby and Andrea Perry
Michigan Runner Service, Inc.

Reply
Debbie Thompson
December 12, 2012 at 9:06 am

I was working at the Loomis Firm with Dana up until five years ago. He was always such a joy to be around. He was so good at his job that he could look at the contents of the package he was supposed to deliver and could tell if there was something missing. It was always great to see him whenever he came to deliver something to my boss (Jeff Bracken) at our new firm. I will never be able to think about Dana without picturing him with that big smile on his face. He will truly be missed.

Debbie Thompson

Reply
Brandon Henshaw
December 12, 2012 at 10:00 am

I met Dana in 5th grade. We grew up only a few blocks from each other. We became good friends, classmates, and teammates in basketball and football. I’ll never forget the great times on the Horace Mann School playground basketball court. Always looked forward to him coming back home to visit. He was a hoot with an infectious laugh. Will miss him terribly. Thoughts and prayers go out to Deb, Budha and the rest of the family. HHS class of ’77, we have lost one of a kind.
So long friend…..

Reply
Joseph Novak
December 12, 2012 at 12:06 pm

I am sorry to hear of the loss of Mr. Givens and pray for Deb Givens (former co-worker) and her family and friends in this trying time.

Reply
Edith Loomis
December 12, 2012 at 1:27 pm

There was no one better to be around than Dana. I worked with him for several years. He was always helpful and ready to do what needed to be done. He always had a positive attitude and I loved working with him.

I have been thinking about him all this week. He would always say “how ya holdin’ up?” I loved that remark. It says it all.

I will miss him greatly.

Reply
Norma Cowdery, Diane Carbiener and Tonya Campbell
December 12, 2012 at 2:47 pm

We are all so sorry to hear of your loss, Deb and family. Every time we visited with all of you here in the Quad Cities we had a wonderful time. Dana was always smiling and ready with something funny to say. We will surly miss him. We are praying for the family through this difficult time. We are so sorry not to be able to travel to Michigan to say goodbye. Lots of tears and love to those who have lost him.

Reply
Joe Leberman
December 12, 2012 at 3:06 pm

My thoughts and prayers are with Dana’s family. Although we didn’t see Dana very often after he moved to Michigan, just the mention of his name would bring smiles. The smiles always got bigger when we did get to see him. Dana truly was a really good guy. A god man. And as already said, One of a kind.

Reply
Jeff Fisher
December 12, 2012 at 4:11 pm

My prayers go out to Deb and all of Dana’s family. It is heartwarming to hear people that have know Dana over the years say the same thing- he always had a smile on his face and he had the greatest laugh. A laugh that was genuine and contagious. He made me laugh for over 40 years. Rest in Peace my friend.

Reply
Garry Williams
December 12, 2012 at 8:17 pm

The class of ’77 lost a genuine and good person. Dana’s friendly demeanor made him easy and enjoyable to be around. I send my heartfelt condolences to Deb, Budha and Dana’s family. You will be truely missed my friend.

Reply
Debra Berry, Michigan Public Service Commission
December 13, 2012 at 11:06 am

Dana’s infectious smile and laughter always brightened our day when he had business at the Commission. We always felt better having visited with him and felt graced by his presence. Dana’s constant positive attitude always seemed to challenge us to “count it all joy” in our daily lives. We lost a true ray of sunshine this week. Until we meet again, my friend . . .

Reply
Jim Ault
December 13, 2012 at 2:25 pm

I worked with Dana years ago at Loomis and offer condolences to all colleagues, friends and family. Whenever I encountered Dana around downtown Lansing he was the same positive, enjoyable person as always. We shoiuld all try to be like that. RIP

Reply
Dan, Janet & Monica Van Acker
December 13, 2012 at 9:55 pm

Dear Deb and family:

We are so saddened by Dana’s passing. He was such a wonderful person and we so enjoyed the time we got to spend with the two of you. We will miss him. Know that the “Van Acker Family” is always here for you.

Love,

Dan, Janet and Monica Van Acker

Reply
Oscar & Robin Slaton
December 13, 2012 at 11:43 pm

We have been blessed to know Dana for over 23 years and honored to have had the close relationship that we had with him. Dana was truly an amazing person – definitely one of a kind! You cannot begin to put into words what Dana’s friendship meant to my husband Oscar — he was the brother Oscar never had. Since we moved 5 yrs ago their relationship developed into talking on the telephone several times a week & often watching various games over the phone together. Their friendship was one of a kind.

We are thankful for all of the years and memories we were able to create in 23 years.

Dana’s fabulous smile, laugh, talk and demeanor will be forever missed. Rest in peace.

Reply
Char Miller
December 14, 2012 at 12:53 pm

Dana and I worked together for a number of years and I would continue to see him at other law firms as the deliveries came and went. I was always cheered by his great smile and emphatic greeting of “hey girl – how ya doing?” He always had time to stop and chat even though I knew he was pressed with many deadlines. I too faced an unexpected illness and surgery, and we would commiserate about our good fortune and thankfulness for each day of life. Dana indeed faced every challenge – in work and in life – with strength, trust, hope and courage, his zest for life shining throughout. He taught me great lessons and will continue to do so with the gift of his life.

Reply
Debra Givens
December 17, 2012 at 9:57 am

Thank You All for such beautiful comments, it meant a great deal to me, my family and Dana’s family.

Reply
Mary & Ron Brimmer
December 19, 2012 at 7:39 pm

We are so sorry to hear about Dana’s passing. We became friends with him and his family when they lived in Greenville. Ron had the pleasure of coaching baseball with Dana when our sons (Travis and Raymond) played together. He was a very nice person and we have many good memories of him. Our sincere sympathies to Debbie, Raymond and Justin.

Ron, Mary & Travis Brimmer

Reply

Please Sign The Guestbook

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *