Danny Dean Niederhaus

Danny Dean Niederhaus

Hastings resident Danny Dean Niederhaus, 80, passed away Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at Mary Lanning Healthcare, Hastings following a long battle with a broken heart.

Services will be at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, February 21, at Butler Volland Chapel in Hastings with Michelle Breedlove Cooksey officiating. There will be no viewing or visitation. Memorials may be given to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. The service will be live-streamed on Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home’s website. To view the service, go to Danny’s obituary and click the play button shown towards the bottom of the page. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.lbvfh.com. Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home & Cremation Center is serving the family.

Danny left many friends and dear loved ones behind. He was preceded in death by his parents Peter Niederhaus and Robbalea Ruth (Watson, Niederhaus) Stertz; his wife Linda (Knephoff) Niederhaus; brother Billie Lee Niederhaus, sister DeEtta Francine Niederhaus-Saiz and nephew Kim Niederhaus.

He is survived by two daughters, Dr. Alexandria (Niederhaus) Schreiner and spouse Jason Schreiner; Augusta (Niederhaus) Beahm and spouse Travis Beahm; five grandchildren Cecilia Beahm, Cooper Beahm, Henry Schreiner, Etta Schreiner, and Harrison Schreiner.

Danny graduated from Hastings High School, Hastings College, and USAF University Air and Command Staff College and USAF University Air War College (Master and Doctorate programs). He worked as a CPA/Controller for many years before retiring in April of 2005 to be with his beloved wife Linda who retired in May 2005 due to health reasons. He married Linda on July 2, 1967 and spent 54 beloved years together. 15 of those years were spent in retirement and deemed that still wasn’t enough time together.

Danny told Linda that he had a blessed life and could never understand how he got so lucky. Danny started out on the south side of Hastings, south and east of the railroad tracks. One pair of shoes per year and lots of hand me downs from his cousin next door. He always thought that he had an enjoyable childhood with many friends, despite a lack of money. He had paper routes, shoveled snow in the winters, and caddied in the summers to get a little spending cash. Those work ethics came early and lasted until he retired in 2005.

Danny started working at the age of fourteen until midnight every other night. He joined the Navy at seventeen where he was in the Honor Guard at NAS North Island. While there he taught Chinese naval officers search light maintenance. His Chief volunteered him for almost every task his CO requested. The best volunteer job he had was an assignment to a Nuclear War Recovery Team. The job was to map out safe areas for after a nuclear attack. He was chosen for a 4 year college program with a commission at graduation.

Danny was a pilot, a CPA, an author, and a controller at an ethanol plant. He built two large homes by hand. One with Linda and her father that they lived in, and another with Augusta and her husband Travis that they live in. He was a marksman with his M-1 and M-9 9 mm pistol. He flew over Indiana at 2:30 AM and laid next to the air refueling and watched as F-16’s flew up to refuel. He went through a Looking Glass aircraft parked next to the President’s Air Force 1 backup. He flew acrobatics over the Mississippi at NAS Memphis. Danny was a Navy Aviation Electrician, a Naval pilot trainee, and a Lt.Col in the USAF Civil Air Patrol where he earned his pilot wings. He spent over 20 years working on the family genealogy tree and concluded that because after a while you find you’re related to almost everyone with a European background. He had an exciting and enjoyable life topped off by his wife, children, and grandchildren. He was looking forward to joining the love of his life Linda again.