Daniel 'Dan' Johns, 79

Daniel “Dan” David Johns died peacefully on Sept. 3, 2025 in Hillsboro, Oregon.

Born March 27, 1946, in Kalispell to Myles and Hilda (Yandell) Johns, Dan grew up on Kalispell’s east side, the youngest of four children. He attended Hedges Elementary and graduated from Flathead High School in 1964. From the time he picked up a ball at age 6, baseball was his lifelong passion. His all-time favorite ball player was Mickey Mantle, solidifying Dan as a lifelong New York Yankees fan.

Dan played PeeWee Baseball, Babe Ruth and Legion ball in Kalispell. He was a talented left-handed pitcher who was once invited to try out for the Pittsburgh Pirates but declined to remain with his Legion team, the Kalispell Gareys. After high school, he attended St. Olaf College in Minnesota, where he pitched for the Oles, made many lifelong friends, and earned team MVP honors in 1967. He graduated with a degree in economics.

After college, Dan married Cheryl (“Sherry”) Engelbach, of Evergreen, in 1968. Together, they raised four children — Anna, Jason, Quinn and Paul (aka “the twins”). Dan and Sherry would eventually divorce in 2013.

Dan and Sherry moved to Indiana, where Dan earned his law degree and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from Indiana University and then worked in labor and employment law at the Roberts & Ryder law firm in Indianapolis. During Dan’s ten years in Indiana, he became a devoted fan of Hoosiers basketball and the Indianapolis 500, returning several times for the annual Memorial Day weekend race. Each March, he would choose the Hoosiers to win the NCAA basketball tournament, no matter the odds.

In 1979, he and his family returned home to Kalispell where he practiced labor law at Murphy, Robinson, Heckathorn & Phillips, later Crowley Fleck, until his retirement. For 14 years, he also served as chairman of the Montana State Board of Labor Appeals, an appointment made by the governor and confirmed by the State Senate.

Professional accolades aside, it was the countless hours that Dan spent as a volunteer that will leave an impact on the Flathead Valley for many decades to come. For 23 years, he coached baseball in Kalispell, co-coaching the Semitool PeeWee majors team with Don Fry and later in Babe Ruth with his best friend Bill Morton. Dan also volunteered as PeeWee Baseball’s president for 28 years. Under his guidance, Kalispell became a baseball powerhouse and produced many players that played in college and even professionally.

In 1996, Dan helped form the nonprofit Kidsports and became its president, negotiated directly with governmental agencies and secured a private-public partnership with the City of Kalispell to secure 138 acres on the north side of Kalispell for what became the Kalispell Kidsports Complex, which now holds more than 30 fields for baseball, softball, football, soccer and lacrosse. He also traveled out of state to visit various sports complexes and speak with experts, all to collect information for designing the complex for the long term. And when commercial development pushed north and appeared to threaten the complex, Dan moved quickly to make the complex’s property rights permanent — securing it for future generations.

Dan was especially proud of helping to establish the Miracle Field, a rubber-topped ball field which opened in 2009, that made baseball accessible for players with mental or physical disabilities. He traveled as far as Georgia to learn more about the miracle field concept and when it was built, Kalispell’s Miracle Field was one of just a few in the entire western U.S. He considered that field the crown jewel of the Kidsports Complex, and coached and volunteered with the Miracle League for nine years. It turned out to be his favorite gig as a coach.

In 2000, the Kalispell Chamber of Commerce awarded Dan the “Big Chief Award” in honor of his decades of community service which also included many years as a member of the Kalispell Rotary Club. Prior to his death, the Kalispell City Council voted to rename the Kidsports fields as the Dan Johns Kalispell Youth Athletic Complex, ensuring his legacy will inspire generations to come.

Dan is survived by his siblings Ron Johns (Suzi) of Spokane, WA; Bette Johnson (Jim) of St. Cloud, MN; and Doug Johns (Vicki) of Kalispell; his children Anna Ruby (Jason) of Hillsboro, OR; Jason Johns (Jessica) of Beaverton, OR; Quinn Johns (Meghan) of Missoula; and Paul Johns (Beth) of Denver, CO; and five grandchildren: Elliot, Xander, Eli, Amity, and Oscar.

A memorial service will be held at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Kalispell on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 at 11 a.m., with reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, Dan’s children request that donations be made to the Miracle League of Northwest Montana at miracleleaguenwmt.org or to Kalispell KidSports at PO Box 1205 Kalispell, MT 59903.

And if you drive by the complex and see activity on the Miracle Field, please stop in to cheer on the players.