Daniel Windauer, 38

Daniel Kent Windauer, 38, passed away on June 28 in New York after a long battle with mental illness. He was born on October 13, 1987, in Kalispell and grew up enjoying an action-packed childhood in the Flathead Valley. When he wasn't competing in soccer, taekwondo, cross country, or track, you would find him enjoying nature with his family, camping and hiking, spending endless hours rafting, fly fishing and canoeing the nearby rivers, doing backflips and flying down Big Mountain, wakeboarding the Flathead River and riding motorcycles around the national forest. In his youth, he was the Junior Olympic Champion in Taekwondo, graduated valedictorian from Flathead High School Class of 2006 and was a featured artist at the Hockaday Museum of Art.

He then ventured to Dartmouth College, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government, and then an MBA and law degree from Washington University in St. Louis. He passed the prestigious California, District of Columbia, New York, and Montana Bar exams, and also served a judicial clerkship in Washington, DC for US Senator Patrick Leahy in 2013. His career took him to New York City, where he spent the last decade and rose to Senior Vice President at Citibank, working as a Senior Lead Counsel in Regulations Management.

In addition to his remarkable career, Dan was an incredible creative. His culinary masterpieces were always combining unlikely flavors, exotic fruits, flavorful sauces, fish and seafood. He even enjoyed making chocolate straight from the bean. His discerning eye helped him to gather an impressive and eclectic collection of artists ranging from Picasso and Thomas McNight to artists yet undiscovered. He was quick to see artistic potential in everything from uncut timber to abandoned wire and enjoyed creating organic forms made from carved wood, wire and plaster, or concrete, as well as sculpting living trees and plants. Dan was a self-taught connoisseur of luxury goods and contained a font of knowledge about things ranging anywhere from Swiss watches and perfumes to Latin culture and flowers. He wrote short stories which would make Roald Dahl proud and often spent his afternoons learning about and savoring art at the MOMA in New York. We will miss him greatly.

He is survived by his mom, Leslie Windauer; sisters Erin Windauer (Lee Blakeney) and Heidi Becksted (Blayde Becksted); and nieces and nephews (Liam, Quinn, Carson, and Hallie). He was preceded in death by his father, Bernie Windauer.

Dan’s celebration of life will be Thursday, July 16 at 11:00 a.m. at Risen Christ Catholic Church in Kalispell, MT. If you feel so moved, please wear bright colors instead of black, as Dan cherished a world of color and never liked things to be too serious.