Daniel Patrick Short

Daniel Patrick Short passed away peacefully at the Fairfax Inova Hospital on September 3, 2025 with his loving wife at his side. Dan was born in Fargo, ND on June 29, 1936, the son of the late Kathleen and Robert Short. At the age of 5, his parents moved to Wash., DC where his father was employed on the construction of the Pentagon. His family lived in DC before moving to Virginia where he graduated from Washington Lee High School.

Dan served in the Naval Reserves from July 1, 1953 thru July 1, 1963. He was an air crew member operating radar, radio and electronic counter measures equipment on a Navy P2V-5V ASW Aircraft. Sometimes he would do a 10-hour patrol duty of the US and worldwide Coast Lines patrolling for Russian submarines and ships.

One of the noteworthy happenings that Dan’s unit was involved in, was the Berlin Crisis in 1961 when his unit was called to active duty when the USSR blockaded East and West Germany, which led to the erection of the Berlin Wall. Another noteworthy happening that Dan’s Squadron participated in was when they were operating out of Guantanamo Bay Cuba and took pictures of the Soviet ships bringing missiles into Cuba on freighters, which the Soviets denied. It took nearly a year for the photographs to be made public by President Kennedy and this became the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Dan comes from a historical family, who was very interested in the Freedom of our Nation. This is evidenced by the fact that one of his relatives on his paternal great-grandmother’s side, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, MD was one of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He was the only Catholic and the longest lived and last surviving signatory of the Declaration of Independence and the first U.S. Senator from Maryland. His cousin, John Carrroll was the first Roman Catholic Bishop and Archbishop in the U.S. serving as the Ordinary of the Archdiocese of Baltimore. He was also known as the founder of Georgetown University.

Dan was employed by LogEtronics, Inc. for many years and held various technical positions and eventually a sales position. In 1981, he and his wife Lois established their own company. From 1986 to 2005, he was the U.S. Exclusive Agent for a Swiss Company, Wild Heerbrugg, for the sales of Wild and Leica Aerial Mapping Cameras, Lidar and related equipment throughout North America. He earned the honor of selling more $450,000 Aerial Mapping Cameras than any other Leica Agency Worldwide.

From 2005 until recent years, he remained active brokering used aerial cameras, digital sensors and aircraft.

Surviving in addition to his wife Lois of 48 years and his children and their spouses: Elizabeth Brantley and her husband John of Annandale, VA, Daniel Short and his wife, Sharon of Fairfax, VA . He was a loving grandfather to three granddaughters, five great-granddaughters and one great-grandson. Dan’s faith and love of God was always strong to the last.

All are welcome to join the family at a Memorial Visitation on September 18, 2025 from 4:00 pm – 7:00 pm at the Money & King Funeral Home, 171 West Maple Avenue, Vienna, VA. There will be a recitation of the Rosary during an open-casket viewing at 6:30 pm. Please also celebrate Dan’s life at a Funeral Mass at 1:00 PM on September 19, 2025 at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church, 3700 Blenheim Blvd., Fairfax, VA 22030-1806. Internment will be at Quantico National Cemetery on September 22, 2025 at 11:30 am,

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to:
Virginia Knights of Columbus Charities, PO Box 3292, Hampton, VA 23663 Donate Here
Priests of the Sacred Heart, PO Box 900, Hales Corners, WI 53130 Donate Here
St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, PO Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101 Donate Here
Samaritan’s Purse International Relief, PO Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607 Donate Here