Daniel "Dan" Lee Riely

Daniel Riely passed away on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at Sanford Health in Fargo, ND.

Daniel Lee Riely was born to Lester and Kathryn Riely on March 12, 1946, in the Deaconess Hospital in Grand Forks, ND. At 12 years of age, Dan entered Boys Town and was a mentor to all the boys there, becoming council president, and graduating in May of 1964, with a full scholarship for football at North Dakota State University. Dan’s number came up for the draft, and since he didn’t want to join the United States Army, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, spending two years in Vietnam and coming out as a 2nd lieutenant.

Dan worked for Collins for a short period of time and then for Swanston Equipment highway marking and striping. It was during this time that he met Sandra Nelson, who was a hairdresser originally from Hunter, ND. They married on December 24, 1984. Sandra also went to work on the road with Dan, painting highways from Albany, NY, to Amarillo, TX, during which time they purchased a lake home in Leaf Lake, MN.

Dan loved to fish and hunt, enjoying the lake most of his life. He will be deeply missed by all of his buddies.

Dan is preceded in death by his parents, Lester and Kathryn; in-laws, Helen and Stanley Nelson.