Daniel John Krautbauer

Daniel John Krautbauer, 37, of Duluth, Minn. passed away on October 18th, 2023, at Sarah Cannon Cancer Center in Nashville, Tenn. after bravely battling Pancreatic Cancer for over 3 years. Dan was born in Duluth, Minn. on January 28th, 1986, and grew up in the Lakeside neighborhood. Growing up he attended Lester Park and Ordean schools and was involved in various sports at Portman Community Center and was a Boy Scout. At a young age Dan developed a strong passion for film-making using any means available to tell stories through Legos, student projects and technology available at the time. Any time a video was an option for a school project he was all in on writing, producing, filming, and editing. He was fascinated by computers and would rebuild, collect, and repurpose them to learn as much as he could about how they worked.

After graduating from Duluth Marshall in 2004 Dan went on to attend Northern Michigan University (NMU) graduating in 2008 with a BFA in Art and Design with a concentration in Digital Cinema. While at NMU Dan made lifelong friendships as he expanded on his passion for the outdoors and advanced his knowledge in his field of study. Following graduation Dan returned to Duluth as a News Photographer for WDIO/WIRT TV where he worked until 2011. In his time with WDIO Dan made a lasting impression on many of his colleagues as well as further developed his knowledge and passion for the city of Duluth and its people. In January of 2010 he was awarded the Eric Severeid Award of Merit for Photojournalism for his work on local interest stories.

In 2012 Dan took his passion for cinema to Hollywood, Calif. where he would go on to work as a freelance Camera Assistant on films, TV series and commercials. In 2015 he joined on with Panavision Hollywood as a Film Camera Service Technician, servicing motion picture cameras and remote lens control systems for films and assisted clients troubleshooting equipment in house and on set. In 2018 Dan was promoted to Digital Camera Service Technician where he expanded his role with Panavision to work on the growing digital side of the business.

Throughout Dan’s life he developed a passion for photographing the natural world around him and he loved to hike, camp, and find places that were off the beaten path. He explored and camped extensively throughout the Mojave Desert, Death Valley, San Bernadino & Angeles National Forest, climbed San Gorgonio Mountain, and explored the Sierra Nevada’s - often with friends or the new friends he made along the way. He loved visiting National Parks across the country to marvel and capture their beauty in film. In 2018 Dan was elected to serve as a Board Member on the Mojave National Preserve Artist Foundation, an artist residence program in partnership with the National Park Service.

During his time in Los Angeles Dan enjoyed all the experiences of living in the entertainment industry. From trips to Disneyland with friends & family to movie premieres and features at El Capitan theater in Hollywood and Warner Brothers Studios. While living there he could often be found watching a classic film at Hollywood Forever Cemetery at their frequent movie screenings gathered with friends and colleagues. He loved the Muppets and even had a chance to visit Henson studios to meet Brian Henson in person on the site of the former A&M Studios (founded by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss - an iconic studio that produced much of Dans favorite music).

In September 2020 Dan was diagnosed with Stage IV Pancreatic Cancer. He fought this diagnosis head on and never lost faith or wavered in his willingness to fight. Since his diagnosis he focused on picking up new skills and interests while going through rigorous weekly chemotherapy treatments. He continued taking photographs locally and traveling when well enough to capture new sites and experiences. On days he was not well enough to go out and photograph, he created his own dark room studio at home to develop prints and launched an online photo studio where he sourced the finest materials to sell his art. He developed an interest in vinyl audio and built multiple amplifiers by hand to enhance the audio quality from his turntable, and in doing so established a new hobby of collecting vinyl records and sharing with friends. He began researching and collecting watches as he was fascinated by the mechanics of how they operated. In September of 2022 his interest in mechanics led to him purchasing a 1930 Model A, and despite having no experience with vintage automobiles he developed the knowledge of how to drive, service and maintain an antique car simply by sourcing and reading manuals. The car brought him tremendous joy to drive around the neighborhood and see young and old alike rush up to watch it go by and learn more about the vehicle.

Dan left a tremendous impact on everyone that came into his life. He was kind, thoughtful and easily made friends everywhere he went. Dan was approachable and carried no judgement for anyone’s life circumstances or background to influence his opinion of them, to all who met him he warmly welcomed their friendship. Dan’s impact on the world will undoubtedly long outlast his physical presence here.

Dan is lovingly survived by his mother Christine Krautbauer; his brother Bryan (Jenna) Krautbauer; his sister Alison Krautbauer; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, beloved friends and his loyal poodle companion, Ruby.

Dan is preceded in death by his father, John Krautbauer; grandparents Albert & Arlene Sell and Charles & Rosella Krautbauer.

Dan’s family would like to express a heartfelt thank you to the staff at Sarah Cannon Research Institute, TriStar Centennial Medical Center (Nashville, Tenn.), Mayo Clinic, Essentia Health - St. Mary’s Medical Center, Dan’s Infusion Nurses & Dr. Daniel Nikcevich for their compassion, unwavering support, and advocacy as they guided Dan through his battle.

Visitation will be Sunday, October 29th from 2:00-4:00 PM at Dougherty Funeral Home. 600 E 2nd Street, Duluth, MN. Funeral Services will be held Monday, October 30th with a visitation from 10:00AM until service at 11:00 AM Funeral Service at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepard. 1325 N 45th Ave E, Duluth, MN. Dan was very passionate about visiting our National Parks and they were a source of inspiration and peace for him. Please send any memorials to the National Park Foundation in Dan’s name.