Daniel Eric Schlesinger

Daniel Eric Schlesinger passed away on November 28, 2025, at his Cañon City, Colorado home after a lengthy battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

The first son of Eric Schlesinger and Bezaleel Francis Jones, Dan was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and attended schools in Milwaukee, Birmingham, Alabama, and Schenectady, New York. He graduated from Niskayuna High School in 1966, where he played football, soccer, and baseball. He briefly attended college before enlisting in the US Army in March 1967.

During his military career, he completed Artillery Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill and Army Ranger Training before being deployed to Vietnam in November 1968. Dan served with Bravo 2/7 infantry company and Bravo 1/21, a 105mm Howitzer Battery. While with the infantry, he earned a Purple Heart for wounds, and with the Artillery Battery, he was awarded a Bronze Star with "V" for valor for his actions in defending LZ Eagle from a large-scale enemy attack. Dan was honorably discharged from the Army in 1970.

Following his military career, he attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, then transferred to the University of Colorado, Boulder. He graduated from CU Boulder in 1974 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. Dan worked at CU Boulder Libraries and Bookstore for a number of years before being hired by the Buena Vista Correctional Facility in 1978.

Dan met and married Patricia Clark in Buena Vista, Colorado in 1985. They have two daughters, Kimberly and Catherine Schlesinger.

After 25 years of working for the Colorado Department of Corrections in many capacities including Correctional Officer, Case Manager, Training Coordinator, Emergency Response Team Commander, and Hearing Officer, Dan retired in 2003.

Dan discovered that retirement was not for him, and in 2005 he began working as an Employment Specialist at the local Colorado Workforce Center. He enjoyed assisting people in navigating the employment market and providing resources for training and education. After eight years with the Workforce Center at age 65, Dan settled into retirement.

Dan, Patty, and their family enjoyed traveling, especially visiting US National Parks. Dan loved playing tennis, pickleball, pool, golf, table tennis, and also enjoyed shooting sports. Dan competed in pistol shooting, including PPC, ISPC, and IDPA and 3-Gun competitions. He also competed in archery competitions at the Colorado State Games.

The Colorado State Games competitions were very special to him as his daughter, Catherine, and grandson, Jeremiah Rose, also competed, along with his good friends Ben Perez, Gene Atherton, and John Hyatt. Following the shoots, everyone would gather at the German restaurant in Colorado Springs, Edelweiss, for dinner.

Dan was preceded in death by his mother, Francis, his father, Eric, and his brother, Robert Schlesinger.

Dan is survived by his wife, Patty (Clark) Schlesinger, daughters Kimberly and Catherine, son-in-law Arthur Cardenas, grandchildren Jeremiah Rose and Kobe Cardenas, and Chuck the dog, all of Colorado, and his sister and brother-in-law, Michele “Mike” and Roy Wright of Atlanta, Georgia.

A memorial service will be held in 2026. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Boys and Girls Club of Fremont County, https://boys-girls-club-of-fremont-county.square.site/.

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