Obituary of Daniel John Ptak

Ptak, Daniel John, age 66, St. Paul, MN, passed away on 10/10/2024 at Lyngblomsten Care Center after a brief illness.  

Dan was born and raised in NE Minneapolis and graduated from Edison High School in 1976. He was an honor student, participated in gymnastics (rings, could walk around the block on his hands) and marching band. He was elected Snow Days King his senior year. 

Dan attended the College of St. Thomas, majoring in political science. In the fall of his junior year (1978) while on his way to an evening class, he had a motorcycle accident that changed his life. He wasn’t expected to survive the night, but he did. He was in the hospital for months with a broken back, jaw, wrist, and knee along with a traumatic brain injury. Dan spent many more months rehabilitating at Courage Center but was left with permanent physical disabilities and a traumatic brain injury that progressively got worse over the years.  

Dan was able to graduate from St. Thomas in 1981 but was unable to get into law school as originally planned. He was able to get into graduate school to be a paralegal but was unable to persist with that.  Dan worked a number of different jobs over the years but eventually even this got too difficult for him.  

With the help of his father and Senator Paul Wellstone, Dan was able to get into a subsidized Independent Living Facility in downtown St. Paul. He spent 32 years at Central Towers and was very comfortable and enjoyed his time there.  

Dan was a devout Catholic and attended Church of the Assumption regularly. He was also a lifelong Democrat and served as an election judge many times over the years. 

He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Ruth Ptak, and brother Patrick Ptak. He is survived by his siblings Michelle (John) Luzaich,  Michael (Lori) Ptak, and David (Betsy) Ptak, and his siblings’ children: Troy (Amanda) Isensee, Stephanie Ptak, Kirsten (Andrew Montgomery) Ptak, Carter Ptak, and Bennett Ptak. 

A Celebration of Life will be held on Tuesday December 10, 2024, from 5-7 pm, with a prayer service at 7:00, at the Washburn-McReavy Hillside Chapel, 2610 19th Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418. A private interment will be at Fort Snelling. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Second Harvest Food Shelves.