Daniel Don Breinholt

February 22, 1945 - April 20, 2014

Daniel Don Breinholt – Life Sketch February 22, 1945 to Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014 Daniel Don Breinholt, 69, of Orem, Utah, peacefully slipped into eternity on glorious Easter Sunday, April 20, 2014 at his home, surrounded by his family. Born on February 22, 1945 in Provo, Utah to Donald Breinholt and Marjorie Spendlove Breinholt, Dan was the middle child and only son. From a young age, Dan took up his father’s love for athletics, especially baseball. He spent every free hour he could find at the baseball diamond during the summers and played basketball during the winters. People said that he ate, drank, and slept sports. Don Breinholt taught Dan a great deal about competing in sports and in life, especially the idea that “personal efficiency is not getting ahead of others, but getting ahead of yourself.” Don’s coaching and support helped Dan to achieve success in both basketball and baseball while attending Provo High School and later at Southern Utah University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in communications. During the tumultuous years of the Vietnam War, Dan served in the U.S. Army, being stationed in Germany, where he fought the Cold War operating mobile missile systems throughout the German countryside. In college, Dan was able to realize his childhood dream of working in the media, starting as a “disc-jockey” in radio and later transitioning to television as a field news reporter in Salt Lake City. During this time, Dan’s first marriage brought two special people into his life, his daughters Marci and Carrie Dawn. Though Dan’s broadcasting career flourished as an anchorman at KTVX-TV in Salt Lake, and then as an anchorman and prominent T.V. personality in Peoria, Illinois, he never forgot his family. He was a devoted husband and father – often mentioning his daughters in his nightly newscasts. Dan’s proudest moment in Illinois was when he interviewed Ronald Reagan prior to his presidency. His success in Illinois led to a huge career break as a national news anchor on Satellite News Channel in Stamford, Connecticut. Dan later returned to Utah, which brought many challenges to his life, but also many blessings, including his marriage to Linda Adams Randall in June 3, 1989. “Dan and Linda were later sealed in the Provo Temple on October 26, 1989.” Suddenly, Dan found himself the adoptive father to four new kids: Bret, Todd, Keri, and Jason and ultimately the grandfather of 17 grandchildren who adore their Grandpa Dan! His career experienced some transitions, ending in a longtime real estate business. Dan was well-known for his lifelong love of sports—especially the Utah Jazz, BYU, and his beloved Dodgers. Dan was a devoted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and enjoyed serving in many callings, including in a bishopric at BYU. We believe he showed his abiding testimony in the Atonement and the Resurrection by passing on a glorious Easter Sunday afternoon. Dan is survived by his loving wife, Linda Breinholt, daughters Carrie Don, Keri Lynn (Bob) Reed; sons Bret, Todd, and Jason (Melinda) Randall; seventeen adoring grandchildren; and sisters Carol Ann (Benny) Hullinger and Janet. Dan was preceded in death by his much-loved and greatly-missed daughter Marci, and his parents, Don and Marjorie Breinholt. God be with you till we meet again. ***** The following life sketch is drawn from a speech Dan himself wrote several years ago: WORK, GOALS, AND LIFE By Dan Breinholt I’m here today to tell you a little bit about myself and why I’m here with you today. I come from a family that believes “success” comes before “work” only in the dictionary. This work ethic has prepared me well for the challenges life has to offer. As a young boy growing up in Provo, my parents taught me the principle of hard work. My Mother used to tell me, “If you don’t scale the mountain, you can’t see the plain.” Having this kind of attitude has helped me through the “stumbling blocks” of life. Some of my fondest memories come from my early childhood when I was active in sports. Those who knew me claimed I was more than just “active” in sports. Their perception was that I ate, drank, and slept sports. Perhaps that was because my Father was an athlete. I learned a lot from my Father, not only about sports, but about being a competitor and what it meant to compete. He used to say “personal efficiency is not getting ahead of others, but getting ahead of yourself.” This kind of “coaching” helped me succeed in basketball at Provo High School and later at the college level. Throughout my early life I always dreamed about becoming a professional athlete. Maybe I could play shortstop for the “Dodgers,” I would wonder. Or, maybe it would be basketball for the “Lakers.” What I later found out was that my future was not to be on the playing field, but rather in front of a T.V. camera. How did that come about? During my senior year in college I decided I would take a non-credit course on radio announcing. I thought it would be fun to play “disc-jockey.” All I had to do was spin records one night a week on the campus radio station. That sounded simple enough. Well, one night when I was spinning records, I received a call from the manager of the commercial station in town. I was literally shocked when he offered me a job on the spot. It didn’t take long before I went on to work at radio stations in Ogden and Salt Lake City. During the five years I spent as a radio announcer, I learned a lot about setting goals. Once again the influence of my upbringing helped me set realistic goals for myself. In the mid-1970s I decided to make the switch from radio to television. I wanted to be a T.V. anchorman. In 1976 I was hired by KTVX-TV in Salt Lake City. I had succeeded in making the switch to television but I had to wait my turn to become an anchor. I worked as a field reporter and producer before my “break” came. It was worth the wait. From there my career flourished. I worked at a T.V. station in Illinois for five years and then became a national news anchorman for Satellite News Channel in Stamford, Connecticut. The only problem was that the station was later bought out by our competitor, CNN. In 1984, the station was shut down and I came back to Utah to face more challenges. I remembered what my parents taught me: that “problems are usually just the absence of ideas.” This is when I decided to change careers and learn something brand new. I accomplished success in the field of video production, which included writing and producing training tapes for companies. I even started my own counseling business, teaching people how to deal with their finances. This brings me back to why I’m here today. And, that’s to tell you that you can set out to do anything you want in life if you create mental pictures of your goals, then make those pictures become reality. An anonymous author once said: think not of yourself merely as the architect of your life, but as the sculptor. Expect to do a lot of hard hammering and chiseling and scraping and polishing. It’s been a pleasure speaking with you today. Good luck in your endeavors and goal-setting. Services will be at the Stonewood 2nd LDS Ward, located at 665 South 200 West in Orem. Viewings will be Thursday April 24th 2014 from 6pm - 8pm and, Friday April 25th 2014 from 9:30am - 10:30am, followed by his Funeral Service at 11am. Interment will be at the Orem City Cemetery. 1520 North 800 East