[DVOC] The passing of Club Member John Danzenbaker

[Bert Filemyr]

The following was posted on NJ Birds Tuesday night

 

"This is very sad news, from John's sons Mike and Jim.

 

On July 14th, John Danzenbaker, husband and father, noted birder and mentor
to numerous bird enthusiasts, died from a short battle with pancreatic
cancer.

 

Looking out the window of the family house in Pennsylvania at age 7, he
noticed that there were some sparrows that were streaked below unlike other
sparrows he had seen.  This curiosity led to many hours in the field
learning the local birds and wildlife with his cousin Bill Savage.  This
started a lifelong avocation with birds which eventually took him farther
afield.  The onset of WWII took him away from birding for 23 years as the
army posted John to overseas destinations including England, France, Japan,
Korea, and Iran.  He received two Purple Hearts at Normandy.

 

He introduced both of his sons, Mike and Jim (Chris) to birding at an early
age and instilled in them a deep and abiding love and respect for nature.
Short trips to Brigantine NWR (aka Forsythe), Tuckahoe, Longport Inlet, and
Cape May led to longer trips, including our first overnight birding trip to
Illinois to see booming Greater Prairie Chickens.  40 years later, he had
amassed a World List of 7535 species (within the top 3) and passport stamps
from over 70 different countries including Bhutan, Papua New Guinea, Ivory
Coast, and Antarctica.  His wife Sylvie, who documented trips and also found
birds, accompanied him on most of his travels.

 

In New Jersey, he was a tireless advocate of local conservation efforts.  He
participated in and/or compiled for the Oceanville Christmas Bird Count for
30 years.  He volunteered for Monomet Bird Observatory in Massachusetts,
doing regular shorebird and waterbird counts at Brigantine NWR.  His red car
with window mounted spotting scope was a common sight at the refuge.
Birders can thank John for  

locating Reddish Egret and Roseate Spoonbill there in recent years.   

His legacy lives on in his wife Sylvie, and his sons Mike, who is an
accomplished bird photographer, and Jim (Chris), who leads birding tours
worldwide.

 

In the words of a well known birder, "birding would never have been the
avocation we know today without his influence".  His presence will be
greatly missed.

 

A memorial service will be held at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Linwood,
New Jersey at 11am on Saturday, July 19, with visitation starting at
10:30am.  In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Covenant House New
Jersey, 929 Atlantic Ave., Atlantic City, NJ  08401.

 

--

Jim Danzenbaker

Mike Danzenbaker"

 

John was a member of DVOC since 1973

 

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