Godan (Dan) Meng

Godan (Dan) Meng passed away peacefully at his home on Friday, May 23 at the age of 98.

A long-time resident of Lopez Island, Dan was born in 1916 in Korsor, Denmark.

After graduating as a Marine Engineer, Dan went to sea as a Danish Merchant Marine, where he sailed around the world many times. During World War II, when Denmark was occupied by the Nazis, Dan’s ship was appropriated by the Allies. On three harrowing occasions Dan and his shipmates nearly lost their lives, narrowly escaping Nazi submarines.

Eventually Dan’s ship was brought to New York, where it was turned over to the United States’ government. In 1944, while in New York, Dan met and married the love of his life, Florence.

After the war, Dan and his bride decided to move to Seattle, a port he had visited on his seafaring stopovers. Dan soon found work at Boeing as a supervisor in the Experimental Division, where he would continue to work for the next 25 years. During that time Dan and Florence raised six children.

Dan was active in the lives of all of his children, as well as many community organizations such as the Thalia Youth Symphony, Cub Scouts, the PT, School District Finance Committee, the Danish Brotherhood and Masonic Temple. Dan was proud to be an American War Veteran and a member of the American Legion.

When Dan retired from Boeing in 1971, he began looking for a new adventure. That is when he and Florence moved to Lopez Island intending to purchase a marina, Dan’s life-long dream. Ultimately, the Mengs ended up purchasing Richardson Store instead.

Dan and Florence spent 43 years on Lopez Island, boating, fishing, gardening and logging. Dan was an active volunteer for the Lopez Senior Center and spent countless hours volunteering to help remodel or build many island institutions such as the church, medical clinic, community center and the original Islands Marine Center building.

Dan made many good friends and was a very active member of the Lopez Community Church Family.

Dan and Florence were avid travelers, making several trips around both the country and the world, including multiple trips to Dan’s beloved Denmark. The Mengs were invited to both the 50th and 60th anniversary of the Liberation of Denmark, Norway and England – these were lavish royal celebrations, attended by the King and Queen of Denmark. The Mengs also went to Great Britain, where Dan was personally honored for his role in defending England.

Dan is survived by his wife of 69 years, Florence, and a legacy of children (Karen, Loris, Eric, Dennis and Bob); his children-in-law (Steve, Anne, Deb and Jennifer); 20 grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren (and another on the way) and one great-great grandchild. He was preceded in death by his beloved son Ron and grandson Kory.

A memorial service will be held at the Lopez Community Church on Saturday, June 14 at 1:30 PM, followed by a celebration of life at Woodman Hall. Please join in singing Dan’s theme song “Hen Skaal Live.” Dan wanted you to know how much he loved his family and enjoyed his church family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Lopez Community Church and the Lopez Senior Services.