Dan Ransom, a staff member celebrated for his selflessness and mentorship and who was described as a devoted father, died July 27. He was 48 years old.

Ransom was born in Concord, Massachusetts, and was one of eight children. He attended high school in the Sacramento area and held several software development and IT positions in the region before joining the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office at UC Davis in 2017. In 2020 he joined the School of Veterinary Medicine as director of application development.

Supporting colleagues 

His colleagues in the School of Veterinary Medicine said Ransom was a mentor, and a knowledgeable and effective employee. They praised his inclusiveness and recalled events designed to recognize others. 

“Maybe it’s silly, but I think one of my favorite things was how Dan would coordinate regular ‘showcase’ events for his team to be able to show off the work that they were doing,” said Chris Brandt, chief information officer for the School of Veterinary Medicine. “At the end of each of these sessions, Dan would host a short trivia/quiz session on specific IT topics (security, privacy, etc.) as a competition for the folks on the call. The winner would get a fun little plastic thumbs-up trophy. He always took advantage of the time we had together to share information in a fun way.”

Nicholas Ilacqua, a programmer supervisor for the school, said Ransom also built community during the 2020 onset of remote work by sharing riddles and puzzles through Microsoft Teams. Ilacqua said he also learned a lot from Ransom about UC Davis, not just because of “the crazy amount of info he had stowed away,” but because Ransom had a genuine desire to help people.

Brandon Edwards, also a programmer supervisor in Veterinary Medicine, described Ransom as a “great listener,” inclusive, kind and empathetic. 

“He was a great sounding board and mentor, he would offer helpful advice, and just generally made my day better whenever I talked with him,” Edwards said.

Stepping up as Staff Assembly chair

When Lauren McDiarmid was chair of Staff Assembly, the group’s chair-elect left the university. Ransom stepped into the role without hesitation, she said. 

“His willingness to take on this challenge without skipping a beat was a testament to his dedication,” McDiarmid said.

Once Ransom took the lead of Staff Assembly as its 2023-24 chair, he helped to create a salary and compensation report that wowed McDiarmid.

“I remember reviewing the initial draft with him and being astounded when he mentioned that it had only taken him a couple of days to put together the data analysis from multiple years of salary data,” she said. “He had an extraordinary ability to interpret data clearly and efficiently, making it accessible for decision-making.”

McDiarmid also remembered Ransom for being less serious, like when he played an instrumental version of Coolio’s “Gangsta’s Paradise” while he waited for callers to join the first general Staff Assembly meeting he led as chair.

It was also clear to McDiarmid how important family was to Ransom: He “spoke about the importance of UC Davis as an employer that supports a family-friendly workplace for all types of family structures,” she said. 

A family man

Ransom didn’t talk much about work when he was at home. There, he was focused on his family, said Judy Ransom, his wife of 19 years.

“He just wanted to make us happy — that was his goal in life,” she said, describing his attitude as: “‘Whatever you guys want, we’ll do it.’”

As a family, the Ransoms and their boys, ages 15 and 6, traveled to Portugal, Spain, Bermuda and more.

“He really enjoyed showing our boys all the different cultures,” Judy Ransom said. “He was big on that … Appreciating everything that’s out there.”

And when they were home, Ransom could usually be found in his home office, a room lined with science fiction and history books.

“If he wasn’t reading a book, he was listening to a book,” Judy Ransom said.

Dan and Judy Ransom met shopping for watches at the Roseville Galleria in 2004 and were married the following year. 

Ransom was a planner with a cool head, his wife said. When the family traveled, he would arrange everything and she would just need to pack a suitcase. He also helped her through stressful situations by listening and reassuring, she said. And he left behind an organized collection of information about financial accounts and other details, easing the burden of his passing.

“He’s helping keep us strong,” Judy Ransom said. “I hear him. I do what Dan would do.”

A celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday (Aug. 17) at the Wheatland Community Center, 101 C Street in Wheatland. The Staff Assembly website has more information.