David Richard Van Wyk, 81, died Saturday, September 28, 2019 at home as he lived, under the loving care of his wife of 60 years, Sandie. He was born in Appleton, WI, the son of Theodore and Eunice Van Wyk.
David treasured his family; he is survived by daughters, Kristie (Ward), Karen (Gail), Katherine; his sons, Daniel and David; beloved grandchildren, Sydney, Rachel, Teddy, Madison, Regan, Clint and Sosi; and brother, James Nass. He is also survived by Robert Mueller, Mike Farley, and Jennifer Van Wyk. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, Robert and William.
At heart, Dave was an idea man. He worked for the Mental Health Association and Blue Cross Blue Shield. He co-created Sunday’s Ice Cream and cookies, invented a trivia board game and was a welfare fraud investigator for the State of MN.
David valued and modeled kindness, empathy and humor. He majored in Political Science at the University of Madison. A devout liberal, he supported the Democratic Party with blind devotion throughout his entire life. He believed in equity and would root for the little guy 100% of the time. He volunteered at DFL caucus events and for the American Cancer Society. David loved to talk about politics, sports, movies and books. He had at least one book by his side for his entire adult life. He would engage in an active debate on faith. An avid Packers fan, he supported his team through the good and the bad years. He also enjoyed watching Twins baseball with Sandie.
After his beloved wife Sandie was diagnosed with dementia, David sought the support of a group for caregivers at Bethesda Hospital. He was able to share his voice and experience and seek the support of other caregivers.
Memorial Services will be held on Saturday, October 12th at Wulff Woodbury Funeral Home, 2195 Woodlane Drive, Woodbury. Visitation will take place from 1:00-2:00pm with a service to follow at 2:00pm.
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