Daniel P. Filson ’49

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Dan died July 12, 2018, in Palm Beach, Fla., just four months after celebrating his 90th birthday.

He came to Princeton from James Madison High School in Brooklyn, roomed with Dave Sweney, and majored in economics. He was a member of Elm Club, St. Paul’s Society, the Pre-Law Society, and the German Club. After a tour of duty in Korea, Dan went to work for the W.T. Grant Co. in several stores in New York and New Jersey. At the time of our 10th reunion, he reported that he was living in Livingston, N.J., with his wife and they had two children.

By 1974 Dan had been transferred to W.T. Grant’s Chicago office, where he was the regional merchandise manager. Although he was living in Barrington, Ill., at that time, by the mid-1990s he had moved back to New Jersey and was the president and owner of Shelby & Danby, distributors. Other than knowing he had a second residence in West Palm Beach, we have very little information about his life during those years.

Dan is survived by his wife, Betty, and four children Susan, Stephen, Tracy, and Patricia. We offer our sympathy and condolences to Betty and the entire family.

1 Response

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Amanda Gruss

1 Week Ago

Remembering a Remarkable Life

This was my grandfather. When he passed in 2018 he had lived a long and successful life. He owned a chain of stores named Shelby’s in New Jersey and Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.

After “retirement” he moved to West Palm Beach with his beloved wife Betty. He was never good at retirement and worked for HR Block as well as the veteran’s home doing income taxes. He worked up until he wasn’t able to anymore.

He was a fierce businessman who left an impression on all he met. He had 11 grandchildren and three great grandchildren at the time of his passing, to all of whom he left a lasting impression. His wife Betty will be celebrating her 94th birthday this July 7 and misses him dearly.

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