WHO anchor Dan Winters departs Des Moines station after 18 years on air to focus on family
Dan Winters spent the past 18 years at WHO 13. On May 25, his run ends when the weeknight anchor and reporter departs the Des Moines news station.
Winters, an Iowa State grad, said the recent losses of his sister and nephew made him realize that he wanted to spend more time with his family.
“Shannon and I have worked opposite schedules since the day we met,” Winters wrote on Facebook about his schedule with his wife. “Now, we have three kids who are growing so fast. All four of them deserve a guy who will be there for dinner and bedtime."
Winters said that he still considers central Iowa his home and plans to stay. "It’s a remarkable place to live and raise a family, and it is where we intend to stay. You won’t see me on TV, but you will still see me around town.”
Winters, who started at WHO on May 25, 2004, earned several Upper Midwest Emmy Awards and a national Edward R. Murrow Award during his tenure. He also earned accolades from the William Randolph Hearst TV News Championship in San Francisco after graduating from Iowa State, where he serves as the chair of the Greenlee School Advisory Council. He said his first on-air job was at KMA radio when he was 16.
Among the interesting facts he has listed on his WHO bio are his tour of Iowa that had him living in six different towns, his love of ketchup on eggs and mac and cheese, his knowledge of “National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation” and his ability to recite every word from the Chevy Chase classic.
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In 2014, his wife and he were featured on a “West End Salvage,” the DIY Network show featuring the downtown Des Moines furnishings store West End Architectural Salvage. During the episode, the owners renovated the couples' bedroom with a ceiling made from barn wood and a fireplace mantel that used wood from the Veterans Administration building in Des Moines during the second season.
Winters' sister and nephew were murdered on Feb. 11, 2020. The Associated Press reported that Richard Logan, 53, killed 48-year-old Diana Logan and their son, Aaron, at their home in Sugar Land, Texas, near Houston. The former pastor then drove about 160 miles to San Marcos, where his adult daughter attended college, and attempted to strangle her, police told AP at the time. Richard Logan then shot himself with the same gun used to kill his wife and son.
"All I can say is that this has been the worst week of our lives," Winters wrote in a Facebook post at the time. "…(W)e received the devastating news that my dear sister and sweet 11-year-old nephew were killed by her husband, who then took his own life. Praise God our 22-year-old niece survived. She is nothing short of remarkable. Our family is stunned, heartbroken, and confused... but our faith sustains us. We feel the prayers raining down on us in the form of God’s love, peace, and comfort. We are so grateful for the support of countless family, friends, and co-workers."
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Dan Winters exits WHO to focus on family, cites loss of sister, nephew
