Daniel Haff

Daniel L. Haff, of Hingham, age 84, passed away May 24, 2020, after a brief period of declining health, but a long and well-lived life.

He was the loving husband of Stephanie (Mitchell) Haff for 59 years. Son of the late Charles and Blanche Haff, Dan was born in Fort Edward, New York, later grew up in Squantum, served in the U.S. Army, met Stephanie on the beach in Quincy, and moved with her to Hingham, where they lived happily through six decades. In addition to Stephanie, Dan is survived by daughter Jennifer Goulding and her husband Dennis, daughter Sarah Stanganelli and her husband Joseph, son Deniston Haff, grandchildren Jack Stanganelli and Julia Stanganelli, sister Susan Haff of South Deerfield, and many Markham, Young and Mitchell family nieces and nephews.

Dan owned and operated Haff Business Forms for over 50 years. Dan will be remembered for combining his passion for a never-ending set of hobbies and interests with his love of people, through stories he loved to tell. He was an amateur pilot of prop planes, enthusiast for old trains, and aficionado of automobiles. Dan collected and repaired watches and antique clocks and was a longtime member of the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors. Dan was also a collector of Oriental rugs. Merging those interests, Dan formed Time Weavers, through which he traded and sold timepieces and rugs, often at conventions in Florida or shows on Cape Cod, where the friends he made and stories he told far outnumbered the pieces he sold. Dan loved the Cape, and Chatham most of all. Dan loved his country, and its history.

He served in the Army, but told stories about the Navy just as much, in part because he so admired his brother-in-law, the late John RC Mitchell, Captain USN (Ret), CO USS JFK. Dan belonged to the Association of Naval Aviation Patriot Squadron, dedicated to preserving the legacy of the South Weymouth and Squantum Naval Air Stations. Dan loved Hingham, and routinely served his community, including the Hingham Historical Society and Second Parish Church, volunteering his time and expertise. Dan loved giving formal talks about military timepieces or antique clocks, but no more than he loved explaining the history behind one of them to a new acquaintance.

The theme underlying most of Dan’s stories was that he loved the people he met and friends he made in every group he joined and every place he went. Dan also loved all animals, especially the many cats and dogs, and one raccoon, he and Stephanie adopted. More than anything, Dan loved his family, and cherished the holidays with everyone around the table listening to his tales. Dan’s own favorite story was his life with Stephanie on Cushing Pond.

Due to the state of emergency, a celebration of Dan’s life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Dan’s memory may be made to: 

Second Parish Church of Hingham or the Scituate Animal Shelter. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Daniel Haff, please visit our floral store.