On February 13, 2017, Fort Dodge Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Emeritus Dan Payne passed away at age 82.

Our heartfelt condolences go to his family and his friends. For those of you who knew Dan, to him, many of his friends were indeed members of his family.

To him, friends were for a lifetime. The true loyalty I saw him show his family and friends spoke mountains of the man he was.

I feel confident speaking for our Board of Directors that Dan’s passing is a big loss for our organization. Under his leadership, the Fort Dodge Convention and Visitors Bureau gained financial stability and hundreds of organizations, projects and events were given assistance. He was dedicated to our organization, coming into the office a few hours, seven days a week and even on the holidays. While we continue to move forward on some of the projects he began, we will strive to continue his success.

But it was not only the Fort Dodge Convention and Visitors Bureau who suffered the loss; it was the community of Fort Dodge as a whole. Dan Payne had been involved in countless organizations and projects over the years which made a large impact on the community.

Just in the nine years I worked with Dan, he spent hours working on the Fort Dodge City Council, Brushy Creek Area Honor Flights, Veterans Memorial Park, Mid-Iowa Detachment Marine Corps League to note just a few.

I never saw Dan turn away an organization who needed his help. And his impact didn’t end there; he had the ability to make a difference to the people he came in contact with. Dan took the time to mentor many people some now in leadership positions in our community because he saw potential in them, the willingness to work hard and the desire to make the community a better place.

He was proud of Fort Dodge and the Fort Dodge Dodgers. He was a regular at Dodger Stadium for Dodger football games and Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex for Dodger softball games. He loved attending the State Softball Tournament to watch the Dodgers play. Dan had unwavering support for continued improvements to Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex and continued hosting of the State Softball Tournament.

I had the honor of knowing Dan since 2000 and working for him since 2007. He had a wonderful sense of humor which kept many of us guessing if his stories were completely true or if a punch line was near.

He also had the ability to make you see beyond yourself and your problems to see what you could do for others. He showed he cared in the small ways. Whether it was by listening and giving advice, providing a full candy dish for visitors in his office or lending a helping hand, Dan is not a person that can be replaced, and he is already missed immensely at our office.

Dan Payne, I can’t thank you enough for making a difference in my community and my life.

Kerrie Kuiper is executive director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau.