VIDEO: Dayton remembers Tank's owner at funeral

The Dayton community celebrated restaurant icon Dan "Tank" Tankersley as more than just the owner of Tank's Bar and Grill on March 24.

In a room where toddlers could be heard giggling as they remembered their grandfather, family, friends of Tankersley shared fond memories of a family man, husband and companion.

Tankersley's memorial service was an intimate gathering of loved ones and proof that Tankersley's mark will forever be left on all who had the fortune of knowing him.

Here is an excerpt of a letter that Tankersley's wife, Debra, wrote to him and read at his memorial service:

"I will miss the way you looked at me, but then it is burned into my soul. I will miss the way you kissed me, but then it is burned onto my lips. I will miss those big strong arms when you would wrap them around me, but then I can still feel them around me...Not only are you Dayton's legend, you are mine."

Tankersley, age 63 of Dayton, died Sunday, March 20, 2016, after suffering a heart attack.

Tankersley had been involved with local restaurants in one way or another since 1967 when he worked as a bus boy at the Colony Club on South Dixie.

In 1982, he opened the Press Box in downtown Dayton and ran it until 1987, when he found that he needed to move from his location. Searching for a new home for his restaurant, Tankersley found a building for sale on the corner of Wayne Avenue and Anderson Street, and one of the staples of Dayton dining was born.

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