Dan Truckle died February 22, 2003 at his home of cancer with his wife, brother and sister-in-law, and his fur-kids at his bedside. He was born July 31, 1954 in Grand Rapids Michigan the second son of Jack and Suzanne (Shultz) Truckle, and graduated from Creston High and Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. He later earned a Master's degree in geology at Montana Tech. His career as a uranium and gold exploration geologist took him to Utah, Colorado, Virginia, Washington, and Nevada and many points in between. Butte was his home base for the past 17 years in his travels with Battle Mountain Gold.

He made "fine wine since 1981" at Chateau Truckle when not golfing with friends, hiking to mountain lakes, fishing, skiing, or canoeing. For the last seven years, he was an integral part of the Butte Spay/Neuter Task Force trying to make pets lives better by organizing fund raisers, playing Santa Paws, fostering animals, doing dog transports, and trapping feral cats so they could be spayed and neutered.

He is survived by his wife Phyllis Hargrave, his parents Jack and Suzanne of Bozeman, his brother and family, Jack, Donna, Jackson, and Jim Truckle of Cardwell, and companions Lenny, Pup, Izzy, Batcat, Hazel, and Brownie at the family home. Other survivors include aunts Fran Davis, Marion Truckle, and aunts and uncles Jo and Pat Cregg, Jack and Ardie Shultz, as well as numerous cousins and friends that remain in Michigan and are scattered throughout the country.

Cremation has taken place, and a memorial service will be held at a later date.

Memorials for Dan are requested to be made to the Butte Spay/Neuter Task Force, P.O. Box 544, Butte, Montana 59703