Dana
Dana Kilburn
d. January 31, 2016
Dana was a lifelong resident of Edinboro. He would eagerly speak about his mother and grandmother, Francis (Bumpus) Campbell, and their attendance at the First Baptist Church of Edinboro while he was growing up. Dana graduated in 1967 from General McLane. In his younger years, he earned money by washing dishes at the Crossroads Dinor and setting pins at the local bowling alley, where he developed an understanding and love of bowling. Even at the age of nine, he was in the paper for bowling a 174.
He also enjoyed recounting old stories of earning money from playing pool against the local college students. Among his many talents and interests, he enjoyed fishing and nature. He was always happy to fish for walleye out on Lake Erie, muskies in Edinboro Lake, or to go fly fishing for steelhead in the many creeks of Pennsylvania with his son, Klay. Dana spent countless hours combing the fields and riverbanks of the area, in search of artifacts and arrowheads. For many years, Dana also enjoyed waterskiing, and served as president of the Canoe Club, where he was a leader in the Edinboro waterskiing club. Dana studied martial arts (karate) briefly, which he enjoyed showing to his sons. He served in the National Guard, where he attained the highest physical fitness test scores of his class in boot camp. Later in his life, Dana enjoyed his monthly games of euchre with some of his old high school friends.
During his life, Dana worked in a variety of industries. He worked at General Electric and then proceeded to Erie Malleable Iron. He worked as a carpenter for many years and had worked for several contractors, honing his skills as a builder. He was involved with the construction of various parks in Erie County. For many years, Dana owned his own pipelining business, employing nine people at one time, and he was well-versed in the running of heavy equipment. Dana was never afraid to take on new challenges, as he successfully graduated from the Oklahoma State Horseshoeing School as a farrier in 1988. He loved his work as a blacksmith and owned many of his own horses. Before retiring due to his illness, Dana spent many hours working at the Edinboro cemetery as the groundskeeper. He loved working in the open air. His unique sense of humor never waned. When asked about his work at the cemetery, he would say, “It is great to work around so many people every day, and yet not a single person ever complains.”
Survivors include Terry (Dillen) Kilburn, their two sons, Korey and Klay; grandsons, Klayton and Ashton; and sister, Jackie (Kilburn) (Hamilton) Rodgers.
No calling hours will be observed. A memorial service will be held in the spring.
The Glunt Funeral Home and Crematory, Inc., Edinboro, is in charge of funeral arrangements.
To send condolences please visit www.gluntfuneralhome.com.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Dana Kilburn, please visit our flower store.