LELAND — Daniel Gaddy “Dan” DeBlasio, 47, passed away Saturday, April 29, 2017, at Lower Cape Fear Hospice & LifeCare Center, Wilmington.
Daniel, better known to his friends and loved ones as “Dan,” was born June 1, 1969, in Washington, D.C., and was the son of Joe DeBlasio and the late Jean Gaddy DeBlasio.
Dan grew up in Maryland, Virginia and New York and graduated Huntington High School. He settled in the Wilmington area around 1992, where he was employed by the Star News in addition to also working in construction and roofing. In 2013, he earned his CDL and was employed by Schneider Trucking Company.
Dan may be best remembered locally for his love of Halloween and for the elaborate display he built in the front yard of his home in the Olde Towne neighborhood. He began planning his Halloween display in the spring, and it grew larger and more impressive every year and was even featured in the Star News. The highlight was a haunted maze, and visitors who made it through received candy. Those who weren’t brave enough, however, didn’t escape entirely. Dan rigged a bladeless chainsaw to go off in the mailbox, ensuring that passersby who avoided his house still got a fright.
Dan was preceded in death by his wife, Tracy DeBlasio.
He is survived by his father, Joe DeBlasio; stepmother, Judi Meyers; brother, Anthony ‘Tony’ DeBlasio; niece, Tonya DeBlasio; father-in-law, Trig Thoreson; and two faithful dogs, Ivan and Loki.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Wednesday, May 3, at Andrews Mortuary Market Street Chapel. Inurnment will be held at a later date in Raleigh.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Brunswick County Humane Society.
