Daniel Lee Settles

Dan Settles, 68 (although he swears he was 67), of Nicholasville, Ky joined his mother and father, Gene and Anita Settles and sibling, Nicholas, in the next life on May 26, 2026. He transitioned peacefully, holding the hands of everyone he loved, surrounded by pictures of all the people and pets that loved him, listening to his favorite Harry Chapin songs, and watching one last gorgeous sunset.

Born June 28, 1957, in Owensboro, Kentucky, Dan will now watch over his wife of 45 years Karen, who he always described as his guardian angel, his two boys Justyn and Jarryd , a daughter-in-law Taylor , and a grandson Baylor, who filled him with more joy and life than he ever thought possible. Dan leaves the run of the house to the family dog Hope, and the two cats, Jupiter and Baby, who will miss jumping into his lap for cuddles while he watched TV and chewing on his hair at night while he slept. Dan is survived by 5 loving brothers and sisters, Jodi, Randy (Amy), Melanie (Jay), Tim (Rachel), and Jaime (Sherri), and many nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews that he adored.

Dan dedicated much of his life to finding every opportunity he could to love those around him and his community. He considered it an honor to work countless years at McDonalds in the Nicholaville and Lexington areas, serving and meeting as many people as possible so he could hear about their stories and lives. Dan cherished the 10 years he spent serving breakfast at crisis shelters in Lexington, and the numerous years he spent coaching Basketball and Baseball in Nicholasville. For nearly 1500 days, Dan devotedly took Spanish lessons so he could learn to share speak and share his stories in another language. Each Halloween he would elaborately decorate the front yard as scary as possible because he loved making special memories for the children in the neighborhood. Every Christmas, Dan loved to dress up as Santa Claus and hand out candy canes to everyone that came by so they would know Santa was thinking of them.

Dan loved writing, sharing stories, telling everyone how proud he was of his two sons and daughter-in-law, piecing together puzzles with his cats, sitting on the back porch watching the sunset, counting how many hummingbirds came to visit, and most importantly being PopPop to Baylor and playing with his grandson as much as possible. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Jessamine County Food Pantry, the Jessamine County Humane Society, or Habitat for Humanity. In his memory, take the time to share a story with someone you love, to watch the birds come and go, and to take the time to appreciate the sunset and remember: it is an absolutely beautiful day today.

Services will be held on Monday, June 1st, 2026, at Betts and West Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., and a celebration of life will be held at 1:00 p.m. with a graveside service at Bluegrass Memorial Gardens immediately after. Family and friends will serve as bearers.

This obituary was lovingly submitted by his family.  Betts & West Funeral Home is honored to serve the Settles family in times of need.  Online guestbook at www.BettsandWestfuneralhome.com.