WOOD TV8's Dan Limbaugh dies

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Dan Limbaugh, who produced coverage of the Olympics, political events, special programs and projects for WOOD TV8, died Friday of cancer. He was 52.

Every great team needs a go-to guy, a behind-the-scenes wizard who did all of the little things for our biggest projects, and Dan Limbaugh was ours.

Dan was our point man for auto shows, parades, debates, and the Olympics. A calming influence, he guided us through the organized chaos of live television, sometimes from half-a-world away.

In 1993, he joined WOOD TV8 as a producer for Live At Five. His creative mind and versatility on the job made him a perfect fit for the show.

He became our Special Projects Producer in 1997. The pressure of being live in the field always seemed to ease when he was on the scene.

I had the good fortune to hear him laugh on trips to Sydney, Athens and Beijing. There was nobody you'd rather have organizing coverage.

When he returned from the Olympics in Greece in 2004, he was fatigued. He was subsequently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

He fought and fought, leaned heavily on his faith and recovered from a stem-cell transplant. Four years later, he felt well enough to go to China to produce our coverage from the Olympics in Beijing.

What he didn't know at the time was that cancer was back in his body.

In January, he underwent a second stem-cell transplant, but this time there was no miracle.

Dan Limbaugh was the loving husband of Janice, the father of three and a doting grandparent. He will be missed by all who knew him.

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Visitation and funeral services will be held at Our Lady of the Lake Church, 480 N. 152nd Avenue, in Holland.

• On Wednesday, visitation will be held from 7 - 9 p.m., with a Memorial/Prayer Service at 8 p.m.
• On Thursday, visitation begins at 10 a.m., followed by a Catholic funeral Mass at 11 a.m.

A luncheon will follow at the church hall.

An education fund is set up for Nicholas Limbaugh through the Flagstar Bank, 342 Douglas Avenue in Holland.

A Remembering Dan Limbaugh Facebook page is up.