Dayna John Wittman

Obituary For Dayna John Wittman

Dayna John Wittman, beloved Father, Brother, Grandfather (Papa), Uncle, and Partner, passed away suddenly on July 6, 2024, at his home in Durham, NC. Dayna's loss is heartbreaking and unfathomable to all who knew and loved him so dearly, especially his family. Dayna was 65 years young at the time of his passing.

Dayna is survived by his cherished daughters, Morgan Gramann (Andrew) and Kelsey Wittman; his three precious, adored grandchildren (Brighton, Surrey, and Berkeley Gramann); wonderful siblings – his sister Celine Pettigrew (Fred) and twin brothers Bruce Wittman (Martha) and Brian Wittman (Debbie); and his loving partner of fourteen years, Lynne Ivey.

"Family" was always first for Dayna, and he leaves behind many dearest friends who were also closest to him. Dayna's "Family of Friends" included: neighbors and their families, church friends, and golf buddies; his closest musician friends and their loved ones; special friends, who helped Dayna keep his lovely home and yard warm and welcoming; valued work colleagues; and others within our community.

Those who knew Dayna best knew - and experienced - his most beautiful, kind, caring, open, and generous heart...a heart filled with gratitude. He told and showed those he loved how rich and full his life was because of them. He never hesitated to warmly hug and tell "his people" that he loved them. There was never any guessing or any doubt that Dayna loved you. And he always spoke of how greatly blessed he was by his family and his "family of friends."

Dayna was born at home, in Santa Clara, California on February 3, 1959. He surprised his mom, dad, and siblings with an early arrival – a trend and a preference that he adhered to for the rest of his life. When Dayna was 10 years old, his father accepted a position in North Carolina, and the Wittman family moved from California to settle in Raleigh, NC.

Dayna called the Triangle home for over 50 years and raised his two beloved daughters, Morgan and Kelsey, in Durham. He was an avid UNC-Chapel Hill basketball, football, and baseball fan throughout his life, and took immense joy in his Tarheels' many victories over the years. Dayna was very active in his church's music ministry (Holy Infant Catholic Church), in the area's music scene, in community organizations, and in local philanthropic activities. Dayna served his community as Treasurer of the homeowners' association; as a volunteer homebuilder at Durham's Habitat for Humanity; and as a church musician and sound engineer.

An accomplished musician, Dayna attended one of the nation's top music conservatories – The Berklee College of Music, in Boston, MA. His studies centered on a double major in Music Composition and Classical and Jazz Guitar. While at Berklee, Dayna discovered the instrument he loved to play best of all - the electric bass.

Years later, after his daughters' births, Dayna continued his academic studies at NC State University, Raleigh, NC. He double majored again, this time graduating with two separate degrees, one in Mechanical Engineering and one in Electrical Engineering.

With a career spanning over 40+ years, Dayna worked with many international organizations: Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, Inc. (Division of Global Consumer Product Safety & Standards Compliance), Teleflex, MET Labs, TÜV Rheinland, Square D - Schneider Electric North America, and Underwriters Laboratory (UL). Dayna was a respected, valued team member and he served as an internal consultant to executives and colleagues - across his respective organizations - in all matters related to international electrical safety and mechanical safety standards and compliance.

He served in corporate and division leadership roles and held various positions, such as Sr. Project Manager and Sr. Project Engineer-Surgical Equipment, Sr. Electrical Engineer, Sr. Product Safety Engineer, Sr. Hardware Engineer, and Manager of Product and Facility Safety Certification. In each of his roles, Dayna ensured implementation of and compliance with the most current best practices in independent global safety science around the world - from Singapore to Switzerland and on all continents in between.

In fact, you've probably used or are familiar with some of the well-known equipment and technology that Dayna certified for national and international use: self-scanner checkout systems (found in grocery stores, like Harris Teeter); entrance and exit door retail scanner alarm systems and the large, pinned on/stapled on plastic merchandise tags to prevent theft (found in large retail stores, like Macy's); hospital beds, including specialized OR and Labor and Delivery beds (Stryker and Hill-Rom beds); and complex medical, surgical, laboratory, and pharmaceutical equipment and technology used widely today.

Additionally, Dayna was a great Certified Engine Mechanic, which was extremely helpful for many family members and friends!

Dayna's lifelong passion was music, and he treasured his musical "family of friends", who were the heart and most important part of his music experience. He absolutely lit up - from the inside out - whenever he was involved in playing, performing, and recording music with his friends.

As an accomplished musician, Dayna played multiple instruments - acoustic and electric guitar, electric bass, piano, keyboards, and drums. From childhood, Dayna was a prolific songwriter and wrote his own lyrics, starting as an 11-year-old. He continued to compose original songs and wrote original lyrics to the day he passed.

Dayna was a successful sound engineer, recording director, producer, and businessman. WestStreet Recording was Dayna's award-winning professional audio services company. WestStreet Recording (originally based in Raleigh, NC) provided a full range of the highest quality audio services for corporate, non-profit, government, and business clients, and for levels of local artists and musicians. In 2010, Dayna opened his WestStreet Recording Studio in Durham, NC. It was the site of many of his happiest memories and happiest days, professionally recording and mixing his own and many of his friends' musical projects. Not for profit, just for fun.

Dayna loved sharing his deeply held faith and love of his Heavenly Father. He did so by sharing the beauty, joy, and blessing of liturgical music with others, in gratitude, and with an open heart. Dayna served others through his church music ministry with dear church musician friends for many years at Holy Infant Catholic Church (Durham, NC) and in many churches throughout the Triangle.

He was also behind the scenes for a variety of concerts and musical theater performances as a stage lighting tech and sound engineer at Koka Booth Amphitheater (Cary, NC).

Dayna's most recent and favorite public appearances were as bassist and sound engineer for the incomparable gospel and jazz artist, Ms. Jennifer Evans and Her Good-Lookin' Band.

During their years together, Jennifer, Dayna, and the band performed at various venues throughout the Triangle, like La Residence and The Varsity Theater (Chapel Hill, NC). They also played benefit concerts for Hidden Voices (https://www.hiddenvoices.org/) and other regional non-profit organizations. They also performed with the band in Washington, DC, at a national conference for the Obesity Medicine Association (OMA). (OMA is an international obesity medicine advocacy coalition member and the national board-certification entity for physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, and other healthcare professionals.)

Dayna absolutely loved playing electric bass and mixing for Ms. Jennifer Evans and Her Good-Lookin' Band. He had such fun laying down a strong bass line, keeping the rhythm section on beat and on task. He particularly enjoyed the band's camaraderie, and often ribbed Jennifer and his fellow bandmates, saying,

"As you know, the bass player is the most important instrumentalist in the band. Because the bass player is the only one who knows what is going on and holding the band together."

All said in jest, of course, and just to get a rise out of the band and the background vocalist – which he always did, quite successfully.

Dayna also had many happy memories of playing bass, singing, and mixing sound with The Grateful Dads, a classic rock band that specialized in songs from the 1960's-1990's. In real life, Dayna and The Grateful Dads were (and are) highly credentialed, respected professionals. And as responsible community members, spouses, partners, parents, family men (and women!), Dayna and The Dads worked to, as Dayna said (in jest),

"...secretly support our incorrigible and sometimes highly irresponsible musical instrument and musical accoutrement purchasing habits."

All because Dayna and each Grateful Dads band member never got over being "garage band kids" in the afternoons, after school.

Dayna and The Grateful Dads were known for local concerts benefiting UNC Hospital's Pediatric Cleft Palate reconstructive surgery program; annual Parkwood Christmas Parade appearances; and always known for their "joyful noise" (!?!), playing friends' birthday, holiday, and retirement parties. Anytime. Anywhere. For Any Reason.

Dayna was an enthusiastic golfer and loved planning many Spring and Fall Golf Trips with his cul-de-sac (and beyond) "Golf Buddies." If ever there were a "band of brothers," Dayna's "Golf Buddies" were indeed that to him. True guy friends, along with their spouses and children, had known and rallied around each other for decades. The guys saw and supported each other through all life's seasons - from becoming fathers to becoming grandfathers, and through all heartbreaks, sickness, grief, celebrations, and joyful times over more than 25 years.

In the end, the night that Dayna passed away, it was his "Golf Buddies" and their spouses who, amid their own grief, rushed to Dayna's home to immediately surround his grief-stricken family with unconditional love, comfort, and care.

In happier times, Dayna relished and reveled in all-out fun with his dearest friends. He was a "party waiting to happen," and was the ultimate host, making sure that everyone had plenty to eat and plenty of libations, while thoroughly enjoying a generous pour himself.

Dayna always looked forward to and hosted his neighborhood friends' annual events: the annual Super Bowl/Combo Dayna's Birthday parties; the festive, much-anticipated, and delicious annual Holiday Progressive Dinners and holiday sing-alongs; group tickets to the Durham Bulls and Carolina Hurricanes games; and everyone's birthday, baptism, graduation, wedding, cookout, retirement, and dinner parties. Anytime neighborhood friends gathered in the cul-de-sac for cocktail hour or music, Dayna was there, with his yard chair, small green cooler, and a cold vodka mixed with Fresca in hand.

Most importantly, Dayna was a "Girl Dad," proudly and lovingly chauffeuring his girls to countless dance and piano lessons, band practices, gymnastics and cheerleading practices, church and school events, Girl Scouts meetings and camping trips, sailing trips, soccer team games, and swim team meets. Of all his many accomplishments, Dayna was most proud of and proud for his beautiful daughters...Morgan Wittman Gramann and Kelsey Leigh Wittman, and his darling little ones – his grandchildren Brighton, Surrey, and Berkeley.

Dayna's deep faith, joyful music, infectious smile, twinkling eyes, gloriously hearty laugh, resonant voice, brilliant (and wickedly quick) sense of humor, sweet spirit, sunniest positive outlook...his beautifully kind, gentle, generous, and lovingly protective heart... and his dearest presence touched countless lives. Especially the lives of those who loved him most. Dayna was an honorable, admirable, respected, valued, honest, responsible, diligent, accomplished, integrity-filled, faith-filled, and dearly loved man.

In the weeks before his passing with advanced Hodgkin's Lymphoma (Stage 4B) and with severe coronary artery disease (blockages), Dayna said to his partner Lynne, multiple times,

"I'm not afraid to die, because I know my God and I know where I am going."

Dayna also repeatedly said something that his wonderful pediatric hematologist-oncologist friend in California had shared with him years ago,

"Sometimes God heals us here on earth, and sometimes God takes us home to heal us in Heaven."

Dayna's life and memory are such blessings to all who loved him. His family will continue to love him and will miss him always, until that beautiful day when we meet again. Because Love never dies.

A Memorial Service for Dayna is being held on Tuesday, July 16, 2024 (11:00 AM) at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Raleigh NC. Dayna will join his mother, father, and sister in peaceful rest, with interment in the church's Columbarium Garden.

Immediately afterward, a "Celebration of Dayna's Life" is being held in the church's Fallon Hall. There will be refreshments and an open mic, should anyone wish to sing or share fondest memories of Dayna. For those wishing to play a song, please bring your musical instruments.

In lieu of flowers, we ask that you kindly consider making donations to KidzNotes, a non-profit organization in Durham, NC. Kidznotes provides orchestral instruments and music education (free of charge) to underprivileged children in our area. Kidznotes develops musical talents and creates a strong sense of community, accomplishment, excellence, teamwork, collaboration, empowerment, rigor, diversity, and joy in children...all core values that Dayna lived, loved, and joyfully embraced.