Daniel L. Gotto

Daniel Lee Gotto was born February 19, 1960, in Hampton, Iowa, the son of Leo and Martha Gotto. He passed away Thursday, June 25, 2020, at the Methodist Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, at the age of sixty.
Dan was baptized into Christ at St. Monica’s Catholic Church in Hampton, Iowa, June 17, 1961. He was later confirmed at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Mapleton, Iowa, and on December 10, 2000, Dan became a member of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Denison, through adult confirmation.
He received his education in the Maple Valley School system and graduated with the class of 1978. He continued his education at Western Iowa Tech from 1978-1980 receiving a degree in construction. He further attended Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs from 1982-1984 where he received an associates degree as a parts manager.
Dan and Elaine Petersen were united in marriage August 21, 1983, at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Schleswig. They moved to Schleswig in 1984 and Dan worked in construction with his father-in-law. Through the years, he was also employed at Schleswig Meats, at WESCO and as a security guard at Guardsmark.
Annual family vacations with the boys, helping chase Hard Rock Cafes with Elaine and enjoying time with his grandchildren were the times he loved the most. Of the 45 states he was privileged to visit, his favorite destination was Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Florida. Fishing with his sons, even including his granddaughter Madison, and racing also provided many fun opportunities. He enjoyed his fishing trips to Canada, Lake Bemidji, Minnesota, and Destin, Florida, as well as deep sea fishing at Daytona Beach and Marathon, Florida. Racing events were attended at NASCAR, Daytona International Speedway, Kansas Speedway, and Knoxville, Iowa, sprint car races. He was also a fan of the dirt track racing at the Crawford County and Shelby County Speedways. Dan enjoyed watching Formula One racing on television and visited the Texas Motor Speedway where he purchased a piece of the race track before it was redone.
To say Dan was a sports fan would be an understatement; he loved football, baseball, hockey and basketball. In football, he cheered on the Green Bay Packers, attended games at Lambeau Field and was a shareholder. He also was a season ticket holder of the Iowa State Cyclones. Dan also attended NFL games in Kansas City and Denver. In baseball, he watched the New York Yankees play at both the original and new stadiums, the Kansas City Royals at Kaufmann Stadium in Kansas City, and the Cubs and White Sox games in Chicago. He loved going to the spring training games in Orlando and Tampa, Florida as well as in Surprise, Arizona with his sons. In hockey, Dan was a season ticket holder for many years of the Sioux City Musketeers. His favorite team, however, was the Chicago Blackhawks, attending games in person in Chicago. He also went to games played by the LA Kings in Los Angeles, California and the Tampa Bay Lightning in Tampa Bay, Florida. The LA Lakers were his favorite basketball team, attending games at Staples Center along with an LA Clippers game and attended a Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Lakers game at Target Center. He also watched the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits play in the NCAA tournament.
Dan was preceded in death by his parents, Leo and Martha and other relatives. Survivors include: his wife, Elaine; three sons, Justin and his wife, Megan, Jason, and Joshua; three grandchildren, Madison Ann, Cora Marie and Croix Daniel; his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Bernie and Marilyn; other relatives and friends.