Curtis Duane Danielson, 84

(December 31, 1941 – September 20, 2026) 

Curtis Duane Danielson of Mora, MN, passed away peacefully in his home on September 20, 2026. He was 84 years old.

He was born on December 31, 1941, at his maternal grandparents’ home in Manitou, Minnesota, to L.D. and Alma Danielson. 

He grew up in Birchdale, Minnesota, where his parents and grandparents farmed, with his brother, Roger, and sisters, Lavina, Lois, and Arlys. During his early childhood, he lived with his grandparents, Dan and Nellie Danielson, in a two-room log cabin on his grandfather’s homestead. He attended Border School and graduated from Indus High School in 1960 in a class of thirteen.

After high school, he served three years in the U.S. Army at Fort Hood, Texas. He worked at the Insulite Mill in International Falls and as a highway materials inspector before beginning his railroad career in 1965 as a customs clerk for the Duluth, Winnipeg and Pacific Railway in Ranier, Minnesota. His work later took him to Minneapolis, Altoona, St. Paul, and Omaha with the Chicago and North Western and Union Pacific railroads. He retired in 1998 after thirty years of railroad service and moved to Mora, Minnesota. After moving to Mora, he worked for many years at Aurelius Manufacturing in Braham before taking his second retirement.

On February 15, 1975, he married Cynthia Bergum. They shared more than fifty years of marriage. He enjoyed fishing, traveling, a good game of cribbage, and a bad dad joke. He had a special love of music, and above all, he loved his family. 

He was preceded in death by his father, L.D. Danielson; mother Alma Danielson; and sisters Lavina Westerlund and Lois Rauen.

He is survived by his wife, Cynthia Danielson; daughters Connie Danielson, Kathryn (Nicholas) Reisch, and Carrie Danielson; grandchildren Paige Quant, Daniel Quant, Audrey Hanrehan, and Simon Reisch; brother Roger Danielson; and sister Arlys Danielson.

A celebration of Curtis’s life will be held at Kev’s Depot in Mora, Minnesota, on October 24, 2026, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.