Daniel Alexander Isham, 79, of Washington Court House, Ohio died Sunday, February 15, 2026, at 6:44 a.m. at the Hopewell House Hospice at the Chillicothe Veterans Administration Medical Center where he had been residing the past seven years.
Dan was born October 24, 1946, in Lebanon, KY to Albert Lincoln and Anna Margaret Distler Isham and moved here from Waverly, OH in 1958. He was a 1964 graduate of Washington High School where he excelled in football. He attended The Ohio State University and Ohio University.
He served with distinction in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War from 1967-1978, and was the recipient of the Navy Commendation Medal. He was a graduate of the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA and was a Chinese linguist, cryptologist and interpreter for the Navy and the National Security Administration.
Following his discharge from the Navy, he was a district manager and responsible for opening numerous restaurants for Rax Restaurants for ten years, and then for Cracker Barrell restaurants for 25 years. He retired in 2012.
He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Washington Court House.
Dan was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, James Albert “Al,” and George Allen Isham and three sisters-in-law, Karen Isham, Lynne Callender and Kandy Callender.
He is survived by his wife, the former Nancy Lee Callender whom he married August 28, 1966; two children, Thomas Allen Isham and his wife, Kimberly, of Converse, IN and Amy L. Isham of Washington Court House; three grandchildren, Selena Isham, Jessyca Smith and her husband, Wes, and Christian Isham; three great granddaughters, Caroline Isham, Violet Smith and Madlyn Isham; a brother, Edward R. Isham of Dayton, OH; a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Linda and Ronald Carpenter of Amanda, OH; two brothers-in-law, Donald Callender of Washington Court House and Charles Callender of Chillicothe and several nieces, nephews and cousins.
A memorial visitation, to be held at the Kirkpatrick Funeral Home in Washington Court House, is being planned for a later date. The visitation will conclude with complete military honors afforded by the Fayette County Honor Guard.
A private burial of the cremains will take place in Washington Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Lewy Body Dementia Association, 912 Killian Hill Road S.W., Lilburn, GA 30047 or online at lbda.org.
www.kirkpatrickfuneralhome.com
