David Lee Wittbrodt

Dave was born on September 12, 1948 in Midland, Michigan, to parents Leon and Mary. The second of seven children, he grew up in a bustling household alongside his older brother, Mike, and younger siblings, Ann, Pete, Joe, Todd, and his little brother, John, who passed away in infancy. As a young boy in Midland, Dave spent his days fishing with friends and shoveling snowy driveways for 50 cents apiece — a small start to a life of hard work and dedication.

After high school, Dave enlisted in the United States Marine Corps to serve in Vietnam — an experience that marked the beginning of a decades-long military career. Returning home, he re-enlisted in the Navy, where he would eventually advance to Senior Chief rank as a skilled boiler technician.

It was during boiler technician training in 1972 that fate brought him to North Chicago, Illinois — where he met his first wife, Mary, at Zion Beach State Park. His commitment to the Navy meant that he had to leave not long into their courtship… but their love had blossomed already. Just a few weeks later, from a naval base in San Francisco, he proposed over the phone. Mary said yes, and they were married in November of that year. With a U-Haul trailer hitched to the back of their ’72 Chevy Nova, they headed west to start their life together in California.

Though their early years were full of months-long deployments, their love endured. Dave spent his naval career exploring much of the Pacific aboard the USS Sterrett, USS Stein, USS Grey, USS Roarke, and USS Ogden. During those years, he and Mary welcomed two sons, David and Mike. They shared 21 years together before Mary sadly passed away in 1993.

Three years later, through the gentle nudge of a neighbor, Dave met Cindy — who, like him, was a widow and a single parent (of a daughter, Susie). The two hit it off right away, and in June of 1996, they were married, blending their lives and families. Three years later, that blended family would grow once more when their daughter, Christianne, was born.

After retiring from the Navy, Dave spent the remainder of his career as a power plant operator at Sithe Energies and retired for good in 2011. Free to indulge his many interests, he immersed himself in photography, cooking, camping, and his lifelong hobby of collecting — from coins to geodes to knives. His canned jams, soups, and salsas were beloved gifts, and every Tuesday morning he could be found on the golf course with his closest friends. Saturdays, however, were reserved for Michigan football — and he got to watch them win a National Championship last season, for only the second time in his lifetime.

Travel was also a constant joy for Dave. Among his favorite traditions were weekend camping excursions with Cindy in their trailer, annual trips to Yosemite National Park, visits to Hawaii, deer hunting in Michigan (when he would bring home venison sausage and jerky), and Wittbrodt family reunions around the country. In his later years, his adventures grew even bolder: He saw the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Christmas markets in Germany, and the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica. He slept in a glass igloo under the Northern Lights in Lapland, climbed Mount Whitney, and golfed in Fiji. While his life may not have been as long as we hoped, there’s no question that it was a full one.

Known for his quick wit and dry humor, Dave always had a pun or a joke at the ready. He was also a brilliant history buff: He spent his free time reading war texts and could tell you the military and political context for any great historical era. He had a soft spot for his seven-pound Papillion, Boo, who maintained a permanent station at his side — whether that be on the arm of the couch or the center console of his truck.

Dave is survived by his devoted wife of 28 years, Cindy; his children David, Mike, Susie, and Christianne, his soon-to-be grandson, and his many nieces and nephews — all of whom he loved dearly. He joins his parents, Leon and Mary, his first wife, Mary, and her parents (also, coincidentally, named David and Mary), in eternal rest.

A man of deep warmth, humor, and hospitality, Dave’s memory lives on in every loaf of bread we bake, every round of golf we play, and every beautiful sunset we see. He will be deeply missed but forever in our hearts.