by Rhea Miller

Special to the Weekly

Dan Post is best known as the former owner/driver of Lopez Freight, although he is also a Port of Lopez commissioner of 20 years; the fellow trying to save the cannon at Odlin Park; the father of four children; and a faithful member of the Community Church. What people may not know is that, even in retirement, Dan “keeps on truckin.’”

When asked when he first decided to get his commercial driver’s license, he responded, “I was the new owner of Lopez freight and needed a CDL to function. I gave myself the test and signed myself off, since the owner of the company could do that in those days.” That was the beginning of about 20 years hauling freight for Lopez citizens. Today Dan volunteers to drive the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District truck hauling our recyclables and garbage to the mainland. “I love driving trucks. It is relaxing and takes my stress away. The best part of it is riding the ferry, and talking to different people. I was riding the ferry about 300 times a year while trucking for Lopez Freight. I wander around the ferry and just sit down and talk with different folks.

Born on Blakely Island, he spent most of his early childhood years living on Spencer Spit before it became a State Park. Kate and Ray Spencer were his aunt and uncle, and most of the time his sister and he had the whole beach to themselves.

His father was a commercial gillnetter and he spent lots of time at MacKaye Harbor when it was a vibrant fishing port. He would take Dan out fishing as early as Dan can remember. Dan has gillnetted locally now for 30 years and plans to continue many more. “I taught all my kids about gillnetting and am sad but kind of glad that none have taken it up. Fishing is poor this year but next year is the big year.”

Dan went to Lopez School from first through 12th grade. Dan joined the Army at 18 and served 16 years as a soldier, including 3 years in Korea, and various locations across the U.S. He then followed with 6 more years for the Army as a civilian at Rock Island Arsenal, Iowa. His job was to shoot guns all day, testing weapons before turning them over to the army. “It was a great job,” says Dan with a smile.

He returned to Lopez, needed a job, and noticed that Gary Berg was selling the freight business. He bought the business and he and his wife Linda raised four children on the island, three of whom graduated from Lopez High School, and the fourth homeschooled and graduated through what was then Lopez’s independent school program. He has two and a half grandkids–“one is in the hopper,” as he says. His daughter Rachel is teaching first grade at the Lopez school, Danny is in the Army at Ft. Riley as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot, oldest son Jim works for Lowe’s Hardware in Cedar Rapids, IA, and Ed works for Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids.

Dan volunteers a lot in the community, from doing maintenance work at the airport to driving recyclables and garbage to the mainland – for free. Why does he do these things? “It makes me feel good,” says Dan without hesitation. “I’ve been trying to get the County to be more cost effective for 20 years, back when Neil first started working at the Dump. The County was never cooperative. Now, with the Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District, I can drive truck, help the dump be more cost efficient, and further recycling.”

And the Lopez community is glad of it.