Daniel Walter Beltz
Daniel Water Beltz, 55, died on April 14, 2014 in Sanibel Island, Fla. Dan was born Dec. 20, 1958 in Watertown, Wis., to Leila Jane Arneson Beltz and the late Bertram Daniel Beltz. Dan grew up in Watertown, attending Watertown public schools, and he graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of WisconsinStout in 1981, majoring in Marketing and Distributive Education.
Dan married Kristin Laramie, daughter of James and Mary Laramie on June 28, 1986 in Whitewater, Wis. Dan and Kristin first lived in Watertown where Dan worked for Farm and Fleet before joining his father at Ray’s Shoes. Dan and his father worked together at Ray’s until 1989 when his father retired and Dan purchased the business. Together with Kristin, Dan brought freshness to the business and opened several new shoe stores in south-central Wisconsin. As part of the downtown Watertown business community, Dan was an active member of the Watertown Chamber of Commerce.
Dan and Kristin have had close ties with Sanibel since they were children. Dan first visited the island with his parents as a 10-year-old and returned with them many times. Kristin also came to Sanibel frequently with her family, as they owned property on the island. For each of them, this love affair with the island started early and has lasted their entire lives. Dan and Kristin decided to purchase a home on the island, which eventually became the permanent residence for both of them when Dan sold the shoe store in Watertown to Brown’s Shoes.
On Sanibel, Dan continued to make use of his retailing expertise, focusing on advertising and helping local Sanibel businesses to develop advertising and marketing campaigns. He was a partner and owner of Paradise Advertising and Design, located on Sanibel.
Dan loved Sanibel, its people, environment, and lifestyle. His parents, Lee and Bert, also became Sanibel residents, and Dan was very attentive to both of them, and especially his mother in recent years. Dan is widely known in Sanibel’s business community, and he has become a visible fixture in their neighborhood walking his two dogs, Boxers SonKist and Nudgie.
Dan was predeceased by his father, Bert. He is survived by his wife, mother, four siblings, and their spouses: Christine and John Maas of Watertown, Wis.; Gerald and Barbara Beltz of Lexington, Mass.; Kathryn and Gerald Reason of Minnetonka, Minn.; and John and Kelly Beltz of Watertown. He is also survived by Kristin’s parents, James Laramie and his wife Sue of Fort Myers, Fla.; Mary Laramie of Whitewater, Wis.; Kristin’s brother Steven Laramie of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; and by her sister and brother-in-law, Dr. Tammy Laramie and Monte Hanson of St. John’s, Fla.
A memorial service for Dan will be on May 2, 2014 at the Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ at 10:30 a.m.