Dana Page French

Dana Page French Jr., Captain USN (Ret.) died at home on February 10, 2026 in Frederick, Maryland. He was 88 years old.

Dana was raised in Newburyport, MA and grew up living in many places as the son of a Navy Captain - an upbringing that helped shape his lifelong love of service, leadership and adventure. He was a proud graduate of the United States Naval Academy in 1961. He served his country with distinction in two tours of duty in Vietnam and until his retirement from the Navy in 1990.

Dana met his wife, Margery Moss, in Japan in 1964, when he was a young naval officer and she was a nurse from Canada visiting friends. After a short courtship, mainly through letters, they were married in Margery’s hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan in 1965. Dana and Margery were married 60 years and shared a happy, eventful and remarkable life together.

They had two children together, David (Chelsea) and Eric and their beloved grandchildren; Chase, Reed, Madeline, Stella, and Olivia. Dana is survived by his brother, Richard French (Gary) and predeceased by his sister Helen. He was a devoted husband, father, brother, uncle, great uncle, grandfather and a friend to many around the world.

Dana had a decorated career in the Navy that took him all over the world. Some of his major commands included: Commander of a Riverine Assault Division on the Mekong Delta in Vietnam; the commanding officer of Recruit Training Command boot camp in San Diego; and the commanding officer of the USS Robison - a guided missile destroyer. His Naval service awards included two Bronze Stars and a Purple Heart, among many others.

While in command of the USS Robison in 1979, Dana’s leadership and moral bearing would prove to be the most profound and ultimately rewarding of his Naval career. His ship came upon a helpless boat of Vietnamese refugees in the Gulf of Thailand. Many in this small boat had already perished, and the 262 remaining faced almost certain death. Dana made the decision to rescue the survivors and bring them all on board to safety. Beautifully, later in life Dana reconnected with some of the survivors and maintained close friendships with them for the rest of his life.

Upon retirement in 1990, Dana and Margery discovered and settled in the charming town of Frederick, MD - a community they embraced wholeheartedly for decades. Dana quickly became deeply involved in civic life, forming lasting friendships and serving as a mentor and motivator to many. He was an integral part of the Leadership Frederick County program where his experience, wisdom and insight left a lasting mark. At the same time, he founded an organizational development company - serving as a consultant and trainer with a wide variety of clients for years.

In 2007, Dana took an unexpected break from his consulting business when he was asked to join the faculty of “The Scholar Ship”. This was an intriguing opportunity to live and work on a cruise ship, which had been converted into a floating college campus for graduate students from 35 different countries. He embraced this opportunity with his usual zest and spent four months traveling the world - teaching and mentoring young, bright minds.

Dana was immensely proud of his family, his adopted hometown of Frederick, and his Naval service. The stories he would tell in his later years encompassed not only his experiences at sea, but his profound insights on living an authentic life. He had a sharp wit and a remarkable sense of humor - delighting all with his storytelling and good-natured presence. Dana French was great at life!

Over a year ago he was diagnosed with terminal cancer; he soon came to be at peace with that. Dana was very grateful for the long and full life he had been given.

A celebration of Dana’s life will be held on Saturday, April 11th at 11am - Stauffer Funeral Home in Frederick MD.