In Memory of Daniel (Dan) G. Fay, 81, Canton
- slcnydems
- Sep 17
- 3 min read
From North Country Now, September 15, 2025
"CANTON - Daniel (Dan) G. Fay, 81, of Canton NY passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at Canton-Potsdam Hospital, where he was surrounded by his family.
If you asked one hundred people to sum up Dan 'Danno' Fay in one word, you would get one hundred different answers. Responses would include words like professor, advisor, entrepreneur, proprietor, mentor, coach, athlete, teammate, fan, benefactor, friend, and Family Man. They’d all be correct.
Born in Massena, NY, Dan was the son of the late George and Eileen Fay. He graduated from Massena High School and earned a Bachelor and Masters of Accounting from Clarkson University. Dan began his career in education at Paul Smith’s College, where he taught accounting, coached wrestling, and competed on a bobsled team in Lake Placid. A year later, he moved to Canton NY taking a teaching job at SUNY Canton. With his business mind, real-world lessons, and chalk-dusted sleeves, Dan taught, mentored, and inspired thousands of accounting and business students during his tenure of more than five decades.
When Dan was not in the classroom, he was working to make the North Country a beloved home for himself and others. He built and renovated houses with his company Hoot Owl Enterprises, he welcomed SLU students, parents, and alumni to The Hoot Owl, a train station Bill Helmer and he converted into a bar in 1970. He worked with organizations, boards, and was a long-time county legislature. Dan loved to meet new people and catch up with dear friends. He made everyone feel like they belonged, and despite the day you were having, Dan was ready with a caring smile, understanding nod, and his classic, 'You never know. Scary, isn’t it?'
The sense of community Dan helped create was evident in his love of athletics. Whether he was taking the field with teammates, coaching from the sidelines, cheering from the bleachers, or raising funds for local teams, Dan felt at home in sports. He played football for Massena High and then the Massena Warriors, was a wrestling champion just losing twice in his entire high school and college career, Captain of the Clarkson Lacrosse team and a member of the 1971 US Bobsled team, and he has been inducted to the Massena High (Football and Wrestling), Clarkson (Wrestling and Lacrosse), and Canton High (coach) Athletic Halls of Fame. Dan brought his love of sports, and sportsmanship to the fields and arenas of Upstate New York, where he watched, coached and mentored generations of athletes.
On January 15, 1972, he married Linda Lahey at St. Mary’s Church in Canton, where they raised their three children, Kelley, Ed, and John. Dan was a devoted husband to Linda for over fifty years, until her passing in 2024. Dan and Linda opened their home to anyone for holidays and family functions often extending the celebrations to The Hoot Owl. He wanted everyone to cherish those moments of family and togetherness.
Our home of Upstate New York will undoubtedly feel emptier without Dan Fay, but during the time he shared with us, Dan forged a vast family of relatives and friends that reaches far beyond the borders of northern NY, a family who will carry on his legacy and hold his memory and love in our hearts.
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