David Nevin Wetzel

Born on February 6, 1942, in Salt Lake City, Utah, David was a "war baby" and the son of Nevin Wetzel and Jane Rawlins. He had two siblings and several stepsiblings. Though much of his extended family belonged to the LDS Church, the Wetzel lineage traced back to coal miners in West Virginia. History fascinated him from the beginning—perhaps no surprise, given that among his ancestors were Gouverneur Morris, author of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, and Joseph L. Rawlins, a territorial senator instrumental in Utah’s path to statehood.

A standout athlete at Salt Lake City’s East High School, David played tailback on the football team and placed second statewide in the 100-yard dash. At the same time, he curated and contributed to the school’s poetry magazine. He went on to earn both his bachelor's and master's degrees in English from the University of Utah. Despite nearly flunking out as an undergraduate due to lack of focus, he scored the highest on the master's program entrance exam—just ahead of Joy Lynne (“Jodi”) Wood, a remarkable student who would soon become the love of his life. They married shortly thereafter, and David adopted Jodi’s two-year-old daughter, Meredith (Meri), a beautiful and bright child diagnosed with childhood leukemia.

In 1968, David and Jodi moved to Minneapolis to pursue doctoral work in American Studies at the University of Minnesota. Their son, Richard, was born in 1972, and Meredith passed peacefully at home in 1974. David spent many years working for the University’s College of Education while also chipping away at a PhD thesis he would ultimately set aside. Disenchanted with the topic, he made a vow: from that point on, he would only write about things that genuinely captivated him.

The family relocated to Denver in 1980, where Jodi’s academic career flourished and David found his professional home at the Colorado Historical Society. As Director of Publications, he oversaw a monthly newsletter, a quarterly magazine, and a scholarly journal, while also contributing to the museum’s permanent exhibits. He co-authored several notable works, including Robert S. Roeschlaub: Architect of the Emerging West, 1843–1923 (1988), Cheyenne Dog Soldiers: A Ledgerbook of Coups and Combat (1997), and I Looked in the Brook and Saw a Face: Images of Childhood in Early Colorado (2002). Over a span of 25 years, he also researched and wrote The Vanishing Messiah: The Life and Resurrections of Francis Schlatter (2016), an in-depth look at a mysterious healer who once claimed to be the second coming of Christ.

After Jodi—herself an academic, pioneering feminist, and published author—passed away in 2009, David relocated to Kansas City to be near his son and growing family. He moved in with them in 2020, growing especially close with his grandchildren, who affectionately called him “Dudu.” Though retirement slowed his pace, he never stopped editing, writing, researching, or reading. He also became active in ImpactKC, a group of Kansas Citians interested in learning about and donating to smaller nonprofits, and chaired their grants committee for many years. But he also never missed a grandchild’s performance or game and was a fixture at family dinners, movie nights, and Chiefs games.

David was preceded in death by his wife Jodi, daughter Meri, father Nevin, mother Jane, and sister Kay. He is survived by his son Richard (Jen); grandchildren Janey and Griffin; brother Jim (Shesh) and Jodi’s siblings, Mitzi and Ron.

He was a gifted conversationalist, a devoted humanist, a philosophical agnostic, and an endlessly curious soul. His life was filled with incredible stories—wandering into a fire station as a toddler, accidentally setting fire to a golf course as a teen, working in a psychiatric ward, testifying at a murder trial, washing dishes to pay off a hotel bill, and sleeping for months on a beach in Mexico. But more than anything, David Wetzel made lasting contributions to his family, his friends, his community, and the field of Western history. He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him.

A Celebration of Life for David is planned but not yet scheduled. Please direct any donations in his memory to the “Meredith Wetzel Memorial Endowed Scholarship” at Metropolitan State University at: MSU Denver, University Advancement, Campus Box 14, PO Box 173362, Denver, Colorado 80217-3662.