Danny Robert Winders, 78, passed away on July 28, 2024, with family by his side. To say he will be missed is an understatement. He was a beautiful soul, a real sweetheart of a person. Danny was a victim of dementia from Alzheimer’s, which was diagnosed in January of 2021. It broke our hearts to see him slip away. Music still brought him joy so we played music a lot.
Danny graduated from North Kansas City High School. After high school, he attended Bethany College before joining the Air Force. He spent seven years in the Air Force, which was an experience he truly loved. After his time in the Air Force, he worked for the railroad before going into sales. He was a manufacture’s rep selling everything from coffee mugs to sports items. He covered the states of Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. He really enjoyed the friendships he made with all his customers.
Danny always loved working in the yard, which he did most weekends. He also enjoyed the neighborhood group BOTS (Brothers Of The Smoke). Danny, Hack Halferty, Carl Abele and Ron Huettenmueller started getting together to watch football and fix so much food, everything from fish, brisket, and Danny’s deep-fried turkeys. It was the responsibility of the wives to make side dishes and desserts. BOTS became so popular that the kids started bringing their friends over for football and food. Some gatherings would have an attendance of 100 people, those were fun times.
Danny was preceded in death by his mother, Rose Etta Wall Winders; father, Robert Leland Winders; and brother, Rodger Winders.
Danny is survived by his wife of 45 years, RosaLea Allen Winders; sons, Ty Winders, Chris Winders (Teresa), and Eric Winders (Nicole); daughters, Shannon Winders and Ashley Winders; grandkids, Ty Michael Winders, Miles Winders, Addison Winders, Christopher Winders, Owyn Winders, Tyson Reed, Olivia Reed, Ryker Isley, Kelsey Winders, and Bennett Winders; brother, Rob Winders (Beverly); sister, Paula James (Mark); sister-in-law, Shetty Einersin (Donn); nieces and nephews.
Our hearts are broken but we have so many stories and memories that bring us smiles.
Services will be Friday, August 9, 2024, at Bross and Spidle Funeral Home in Excelsior Springs. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. with service following.
Our Sincere Condolences
Sorry for your loss. Send love and prayers to your family.
Bruce and Deborah Nance
Peace to all of you regarding your Danny. Great guy, funny, and class guy. Otagiri, Palmer, and others. He would understand and appreciate. Ah so, Danielsan. Well done!
Joe Hall
Danny was my brother-n-law that felt like my actual brother.
When first meeting him, there was comfort and laughter from the very beginning.
Danny always was willing to play 2nd fiddle to let others shine. Even when joking with Rosalea, he would say as though getting permission, “I’m the boss of our family, aren’t I honey?” He loved his pretzels and seemed to have them whereever he went. He was humorous on several levels, from being witty, to telling some of the greatest jokes of all time (The new Blue Cheer Joke, the Drunk and Frenchman on the bus joke, and telling us about the Dickie Doo disease). He also had a famous quote that makes you think, “He who shall, shall so he who.” He loved music and one of his favorite songs was Elenore by the Turtles. Danny and Rosalea had a great dance routine together when they would dance to the song Africa by Toto. He was also known for his famous Hillrod dance, that caused people to wet their pants.
Two special memories with Danny. One was that he and I would almost always throw a frisbee when we got together, even as recent as 3 years ago. Another favorite memory, was that I had always dreamed of being on a beach in Hawaii, watching a sail boat in the distance while listening to the song SAILING. That moment came to reality when we all met the Allens in Mauii for their 50th wedding anniversary and Dan and I were on that beach. We made a toast together enjoying that special moment. We had talked about how we wanted to be remembered and I recall him saying about himself. “I would like to think, I made people laugh.” My friend Danny was so much more than a good laugh, he was a bright light for all of us.
Bill Marcell