By Terri Ivie
River Valley Beacon
To say that Dan Eskelson’s passing will leave a hole in the Priest River community would be an understatement. Anyone who was fortunate enough to know him echoed the same sentiments. He was the most kind and gentle soul, had an infectious smile and spread calm and peace wherever he went. His community volunteerism spoke volumes, and will be his legacy well into the future.
Dan Eskelson always had a smile on his face when he out in nature. Photo courtesy of the River Valley Beacon.
The community lost this icon on Aug. 4, 2024. He was multitalented and shared those talents with the community. He not only loved photography, he had the eye for it. He was a landscape engineer and did organic gardening, as well.
His self-described moral compass was, “A product of all the sorrows and joys, failures and successes and wins and losses (he has encountered) over the years.”
Eskelson had a biography in the March 2023 Outdoor Idaho. It listed all the environmental causes and his thoughts on preservation of our natural environments; and, in his own words, “the preservation of our natural environments is not a choice but an obligation we owe to future generations.”
According to former-Priest River Mayor Jim Martin, “Dan was an amazing giver to his community. Dan influenced so much in the community, from its landscape and park design to the community garden and the garden at the elementary school. Dan was an eager learner and had so many amazing talents that he would share every now and then with all of us in the community.”
Eskelson joined Priest Community Forest Connection in 2012 and was a board director for seven years and was the official photographer and recorded nearly 10 years of the sixth-grade forest expo.
Liz Gebhardt Johnson called him the PCFC web guru. She added: “Dan’s generous and passionate involvement in forest-related programs and concerns was an inspiration to PCFC. He helped us bring students to the forest that surrounds us and participated in teaching them reasonable, responsible and respectful use of our natural resources.”
Dan Eskelson’s celebration of life is set for Saturday, Sept. 14 at 2 p.m. at the Priest River Event Center (5399 U.S. 2). In lieu of flowers, contributions to support this celebration and continue his legacy at gofundme.com/f/celebrate-dan-eskelsons-life-with-us.
This was first printed in the River Valley Beacon, with further editing by the Reader.
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