Daniel John Block

June 8, 1953 – December 18, 2025

Through tears and with broken hearts, we share the news that Dan passed away after a harrowing 6-week battle with stage 4 lung cancer.

Dan leaves behind his wife of 18 years, Robyn; sons Ben (Krista), Bowen (Gabby) and Noah; grandchildren, Ava, Jack and Diego and his loyal pup, Evie.

Dan is also survived by his mother, Ann; sister Deby Irwin (Barry); brothers Randy (Susan), Dave (Mary-Lee) and Joe (Sally). Mourning his loss are also his in-laws, Stan and Deirdre Eeson, and brother-in-law Gareth (Jenny). Coming from a big family, he had many nieces and nephews – Christine, Laurie, Sara, Michelle, Sam, Andy, Jamie, Cassie, Corey, Mary, Henry and Arlo, and was known as the honorary “Uncle Dan” to many others.

He was predeceased by his dad, Gerry, and sister, Lauri.

Dan was born and raised on the south side of Edmonton. He grew up in a busy house with lots of siblings and family nearby. When he talked about his childhood, his stories always included playing hockey, roaming the neighborhood with friends and the taste of his Baba’s delicious cooking. He attended the U of A where he was also a proud member of the Theta Chi fraternity. After graduating in 1976 he went on to become a Chartered Accountant, qualifying in 1979. His career as a CA began at Willets McMahon & Company, which merged with Coopers & Lybrand in 1980. He was admitted as a Partner in 1986, met a nice co-op student in 1999 and ultimately retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2010. He had many notable accomplishments throughout his career, which included serving in various leadership roles and working with some very high-profile clients, but his proudest accomplishment was the lifelong friends he made along the way, both colleagues and clients, many of whom supported him in his final months. Barry, Jeff, Jerry, Pat, Wally, and of course “Mr. & Mrs. Levang”, to name just a few.

Coming from humble beginnings, Dan valued hard work above all else. Financially, he was self-made and worked tirelessly to support his boys, Robyn (“happy wife, happy life” was a favourite saying) and his extended family. Many people have benefited from his generosity, and he never expected anything in return.

Post-retirement, Dan jumped back into active parenting and embraced being a stay-at-home dad. He laced up his skates again and coached hockey for 7 years, then pivoted to the hard court and learned everything he could about basketball. He was at all the games, took note of every good (and bad) pass and never missed the opportunity for a post-game debrief on the car ride home. He perfected Noah’s packed lunch and had the morning commute to school down to a science, including announcing his daily fee of “another five bucks” on arrival. His standing lunch dates with Ben were also a bright spot for him, where they would discuss everything from world politics to the adventures of parenting, usually paired with steak bites, chicken fingers or fish and chips. He loved being a grandpa (“Bapa”, as coined by Jack) and looked forward to regular visits with his most special people. After they’d leave to go home, his first comment was always “They’re so cute”. In his final weeks, nothing brought a smile to his face like a hug from Ava or an epic Godzilla battle with Jack.

He loved being at the Mayfair with his trusty foursome and was constantly working on tweaking his swing or finding just the right gadget to help his game. On the home front, he was the head of our maintenance crew, chief dishwasher and reliable cookie taste-tester. While he was happiest at home, over the years he also had the chance to explore new parts of the world, traveling to Australia, Europe, the Middle East, Hawaii, Mexico, Disneyland and an amazing trip to South Africa this past summer.

Dan was a great friend to many and had several close friendships spanning more than 50 years. Top memories for him were travelling with Mike to Hawaii, Phoenix, Jasper; the infamous C&L+Bryan&Co golf weekends with Pat, Ron and others; his annual golf trips with Jeff, Jerry and Mel; some bucket list golf trips to Ireland, Scotland, Alabama, and a trip to the Playboy Mansion (with some friends who shall remain nameless).

Dan’s illness was horrible in so many ways and yet he persevered, fighting as hard as he could until his final breath. While he was sick, he kept saying “if you’re going through hell, keep on going” and he did just that. He endured crippling pain, radiation, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, countless appointments and the agony of the health care system. In the midst of all this, he was still fully engaged in Noah’s sports (and was thrilled when he made the senior basketball team), celebrated Ava’s 11th birthday with a new “very preppy” iPad (his words), cheered/jeered for the Oilers with Craig, and enjoyed a visit from Bowen. He stayed positive and hopeful throughout – he kept telling people he was “doing ok”, when he clearly wasn’t, and was always concerned with being a burden on his family. For those of us who had the chance to care for him, it was in no way a burden but rather one of life’s greatest privileges.

Our family would like to thank all of the doctors, nurses and support teams who helped us along the way, despite the odds we faced. We also owe a debt of gratitude to several doctors who, despite not knowing Dan directly, still helped us to navigate the convoluted medical system and enabled us to access some world class care at the Cross Cancer Institute.

We are overwhelmed by the support shown to us throughout Dan’s illness and after his passing. From the visits, calls, emails, texts, food deliveries, gift baskets, flowers and cards – we appreciate all of it and can’t thank you enough.

While certainly not expected, should you wish to make a gift in Dan’s name, please support the Canadian Cancer Society, through Noah’s school (https://fundraisemyway.cancer.ca/participants/40355/donate) or a charity of your choice.

We will be celebrating Dan’s life on Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 10:30am at the Derrick Golf and Winter Club and would love for you to join us.