Daniel "Dan" Lee Riely
March 12, 1948 ~ June 4, 2026
Born in:
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Resided in:
Fargo, North Dakota
A livestream of the service will be displayed below at 1:30 Pm, Saturday the 20th.
Daniel Riely, age 80, of Leaf Lake, MN, passed away on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at Sanford Hospital in Fargo, ND.
Daniel Lee Riely was born to Lester and Kathryn (Overbye) Riely on March 12, 1946, in Grand Forks, ND.
Dan attended Catholic school in Grand Forks before enrolling at Boys Town, a suburb of Omaha, Nebraska, at the age of 12. During his time there, he became a mentor to fellow students and served as president of the student council. He graduated in May of 1964 and was awarded a full football scholarship to play for NDSU in Fargo. In 1966 Dan enlisted in the United States Marines, as he didn’t want to be drafted into the Army, spending two years in Vietnam. Coming home from war was not easy on Dan as he became a 100% disabled veteran.
After a brief time working for Collins, Dan became the superintendent of a highway marking and striping crew for Swanston Equipment. During this time, he met the love of his life, Sandra Nelson, and the two were married on December 21, 1984. Sandra later joined Dan on the road, and together they traveled extensively, painting highways from Albany, NY, to Amarillo, TX. Eventually, they purchased a home on Leaf Lake, where they built a life together.
In August of 2025, Dan suffered a stroke, and his health declined in the months that followed. Dan had a lifelong love of fishing and hunting and spent much of his life enjoying the lake. He treasured the friendships he made along the way and will be deeply missed by his family and several buddies, as well as all who knew and loved him.
Dan is preceded in death by his parents Lester and Kathryn; parents-in-law Helen and Stanley Nelson; his favorite niece Patty Porter; his favorite uncle Maynard Overbye; and his brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.
Dan leaves behind his wife, Sandra; two brothers, James and Roger; three sisters, Judy Bruski, Susie Johnson, and Reta Weiland; brothers and sisters-in-law; as well as many nieces and nephews and dear friends.
Burial will take place in Hunter, ND at a later date.
The family would like to thank you for your support and love during this time.
Services
Visitation: Saturday, June 20, 2026 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Boulger Funeral Home and Celebration of Life Center
123 10th Street S.
Fargo, North Dakota 58103
701-237-6441
https://boulgerfuneralhome.com
Memorial Service: Saturday, June 20, 2026 2:00 pm
Boulger Funeral Home and Celebration of Life Center
123 10th Street S.
Fargo, North Dakota 58103
701-237-6441
https://boulgerfuneralhome.com
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We are both so sorry to hear of Dan’s passing. He will be truly missed. See you on Saturday. 🙏🙏🙏
Sending our heartfelt sympathy to Sandy and all the family and friends, my husband, Jim Vangen now enjoying his dear friend in heaven with him. I always love seeing you come up to visit us in Crosslake. Thanks for the memories Dan.❤️🙏
Dan, WTF just spoke with you ,should have believed you when you said you where going to see Harlen and Mike soon ,I am sorry Dan that I didn’t come by. You were a great friend all the stories I could tell about our hunting and fishing trips seems like yesterday we were drinking playing Black Jack and whatever. You were a big influence on me on my deciding to move to Colorado to stay with my kids for that I can’t ever thank you enough. Ride in Peace greet then all for me . Benj
Dan your cheerful voice will be deeply missed by all. You were an inspiration to all that knew you. Your outlook on life was acceptionnal. The world would be a much better place if it were filled with more people like you. You were a great friend to have.. Thank you for being my friend. I will cherish all the great memories. Sandra Aaser
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