By Bruce Barton
 Family and friends described Dan Nyberg as a kind man who was dedicated both at home and at work. |
Dan Nyberg was a dedicated family man and dependable co-worker whose shy, winning smile and calm demeanor endeared him to many. The epitome of the nice guy, Dan was always conscientious and considerate of others.
Dan, the eldest son of Town Crier publisher Paul Nyberg and stepson of Liz Nyberg, died Feb. 15 after a long battle with cancer. He was 47.
Born in Wheaton, Ill., Dan went to high school there before moving to the Bay Area in 1977. He attended Foothill and De Anza colleges.
In 1980, Dan began a job as an assembler at ETM Electromatic Inc., a small electronics company in Palo Alto.
Learning on the job, Dan stayed with ETM the remaining 26 years of his life, rising through the ranks to become a production supervisor and second in seniority.
He followed the company’s move from Palo Alto to Newark in the East Bay, where he and his wife and children also took up residence.
“What made Dan so different, he never got mad at anybody,” said Jerzy Szpetkowski, ETM facility manager/production supervisor, who has been a friend of Dan’s since joining the company in 1982. “He was always so calm and gentle, but he stood his ground - he made sure things got done.”
Dan’s company “family” of 80 employees is mourning his loss, as are members of the close-knit Nyberg family. “The love they’ve poured out for him is just incredible,” said Paul Nyberg.
Quality family time also was important to Dan, who took his wife and children on two cross-country trips and on a tour of Europe seven years ago.
Dan, who survived an earlier battle with Hodgkin’s disease, kept himself fit and trim, and enjoyed sports. Szpetkowski recalled attending San Jose Sharks games and other sporting events with Dan by his side.
After Dan’s Hodgkin’s disease had been in remission 27 years, doctors discovered a tumor in his thyroid last March. A rare form of cancer metastasized from the thyroid to his brain and bones. Treatment for the advanced cancer proved unsuccessful despite extensive therapies at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Stanford Medical Center and consultation with a specialist at UCSF.
“Dan was a unique guy,” said his father. “He never complained. He always had a smile. He was genuine through and through.”
Added Dan’s sister, Jill Peterson: “As my oldest brother, Dan set a great example as a husband and father, always gentle, patient and loyal to his wife and family. He was a kind man.”
Dan’s survivors include his wife, Suzanne; two college-age children, Neil and Heidi; his mother, Marcia Nyberg of Flowery Branch, Ga.; his father, Paul Nyberg, of Los Altos; two brothers, David of San Jose and Jonathan of Gig Harbor, Wash.; and a sister, Jill Peterson, also of Flowery Branch, Ga.; mother-and father-in-law Marilyn and Al Angevine of Tucson, Ariz.; and a dozen nieces and nephews.
A private graveside service was held Friday, followed by a memorial service on Sunday. In lieu of flowers, the families request contributions be sent to the Dan Nyberg Relay For Life Fund, American Cancer Society, 747 Camden Ave., Campbell 95008.
