Daniel "Dan" L. Chiddister

Dan Chiddister, known for his devotion to family, his humor and his passion for IU sports, died of pneumonia on Sunday, February 7, 2021 at Bloomington Hospital. He was 75 years old. He will be deeply missed by family and friends. Dan loved his work and his family. A certified financial advisor, he owned and operated Chiddister Financial Services in the same building on Auto Mall Road for 43 years, serving hundreds of clients in the Bloomington area. He retired in July of this year, after selling the business. A devoted father and grandfather, he is remembered by his children for his many acts of love and care. He shared his love of sports with his children, coaching them when they were little, and bringing them along to IU games. When one of his children, Ryan, grew up to be a basketball coach (and now a school principal) Dan served as a sounding board to his son, sharing ideas on coaching. “I learned my work ethic, my love for athletics and fatherly love from him,” Ryan said. “I always appreciated that he was there for me through good times and bad in my life. I could always count on his advice and help when needed.” Dan was a fun dad who could always be counted on to bring sugary snacks along on adventures, his daughter, Michelle, said. He took the kids hiking at Brown County State Park and boating on Lake Monroe. Along with sports, he loved music, and his children remember many trips to the Little Nashville Opry, and singing along in the car. When his first marriage unraveled and his oldest children moved with their mother from Bloomington to North Carolina, “I’ve realized how easy it would have been, to let his relationship with Todd and I slip away,” his daughter said recently. “But that never even occurred to him. He’d make sure to call us weekly, and visit as often as he could. Every holiday possible and every summer break, he looked forward to our coming back to spend time with him.” According to Dan’s son, Todd, “Dad was absolutely the best father and role model any child could hope for. He made countless sacrifices in my childhood and throughout adulthood…I am very fortunate to have dad be such a great grandparent to my children, who love him very much. I told him many times that I’m trying to be the father to Kate and Daniel that he was to us. He set the bar high in terms of being a father.” Dan was born in 1945 in Goshen, Indiana, the first child of Dan Chiddister and Evelyn (Jontz) Chiddister. It was a happy time and place to be growing up, in a small, safe Midwestern town full of young families whose dads had served in the war and made it home safely. Dan often said he had an idyllic childhood, and he described his mother and father as loving and perfect parents. As a boy, Dan was full of life, curiosity and happiness, roaming backyards with neighborhood friends. He loved sports, and could be counted on to play any game with a ball in it, including dodge ball, kickball, basketball and football. At Goshen High School, he was fun-loving and popular, busy playing basketball, football and being voted, in his senior year, king of the prom. Many of Dan’s happiest growing-up memories took place at Lake Tippecanoe, where his family vacationed during the summer. At the lake he boated, swam, water skied and caught turtles, and, as a teenager, danced at Tippy Dance Hall. Dan continued playing football at DePauw University in Greencastle, but after one year followed the family tradition of attending IU, where he joined Sigma Chi fraternity. While his lifelong love of Bloomington began then, he later left IU for Valparaiso University, where he studied business. There he met Betty Austin, and the couple married. After moving back to Bloomington, Dan spent 10 years as an insurance agent, working for Fidelity Union as he and Betty raised their young family, now including a daughter, Michelle, and a son, Todd. He regularly won trips to Hawaii and other exotic locations as a reward for his stellar sales record. He later had a third child, Ryan, from his second marriage. Dan’s interest in finance deepened and he sought and met the new challenge of becoming a financial advisor, earning his CFP certification. He opened his business, Chiddister Financial Services, on Auto Mall Road near what was then the new mall, and stayed in that location for 43 years. Dan’s work led him, after a divorce, to a new relationship with a client of four years, Jacquelyn McCullough, who was assistant dean of the graduate school at Indiana State University, and had sought his advice on investments . Their professional relationship turned into friendship, then romance. “Dan was bigger than life,” she recently said of her husband, who stated his intention to marry her on their first date. They were later married at Brown County State Park, thus beginning a loving relationship that lasted 34 years, until his death. Dan’s lifelong passions were his work, his family and sports, especially IU football and basketball, though he was also partial to the Indianapolis Colts, the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. He was a ticket holder to IU basketball games, and a longtime fan of Coach Bobby Knight. In his 70s, he and Jacquie also bought a lake cottage and he returned to his childhood love of living by a lake, spending many happy summer weekends watching the water and listening to waves at the cottage. Dan retired and sold his business in July of 2020, after longterm health problems made doing his job increasingly difficult. However, he loved his work and his clients, and never grew tired of doing his job. He had hoped to retire several years before he actually did, but postponed the decision until he could find a successor who was a good fit for his clients. Throughout his life, Dan was known for his positive nature. “Dad was optimistic, and things were always going to be fine,” his daughter said. “I’m not sure if this was just his temperament, or if it was grounded in his faith. He didn’t talk about it much, but it was certainly there and certainly present.” Dan’s grandson, Daniel, remembers that his grandfather’s visits always made him happy, and he signed letters to his grandfather, “Your best pal.” And according to Dan’s granddaughter, Kate: “He would give the best hugs that would make you never want to let go.” Dan is survived by Jacquie, his wife of 32 years; his children, Michelle (Russell) Taylor of Pittsboro, NC; Todd (Marni) Chiddister of Bowling Green, KY; and Ryan Chiddister of Indianapolis; stepchildren, Mark McCullough and Lisa McCullough; and step-grandchildren Mark Samuel McCullough, Mary McCullough, Shannon Pepper and Elliotte Pepper. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Mackenna Chiddister, Mya Chiddister, Kate Chiddister and Daniel Chiddister; his sister, Diane Chiddister of Yellow Springs, OH; his niece, Hallie Cranos, of Olympia, Wa.; and his aunt and uncle, Eileen and Tom Lundstrom of Kansas City, KS. A family-only funeral will take place this week, and a memorial service will be announced in coming months. In lieu of flowers you may send donations to one of Dan's favorite charities, St. Jude Children's Hospital, Shriners Hospital for Children, Wounded Warriors, or a charity of your choice. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.DayDeremiahFrye.com