David Allan Pinter

He was born on March 14, 1949, in Ypsilanti, Michigan, to Clara and Daniel Pinter. Growing up, he and his younger brother Roland spent long days exploring the acres of their family farm, cultivating a lifelong love of nature and gardens. He never turned down a freshly picked summer tomato with a sprinkle of salt.

David attended Michigan State University, where he studied industrial arts and met the love of his life, Susan Wills. After college graduation, they wed in Norway on June 19, 1971, and had two children, Kimberly and Jeremy. As Spartan superfans, they enthusiastically rooted for MSU football, basketball and Big 10 sports year-round. They also were avid bowlers, campers and card sharks, playing euchre at every opportunity.

For nearly 30 years, David worked as a pressman for John Henry and the Legislative Service Bureau, acting as a union representative. After taking Michigan’s early retirement in 2002, he started a woodworking business called Dave’s Workshop.

In addition to building and fixing things, David spent his spare time with family, friends and church. The Pinters belonged to Trinity Lutheran for 35 years. They later transferred to Martin Luther Chapel to engage with the spirited MSU community they knew so well, planning luaus and spaghetti suppers for students on campus.

David was first diagnosed with melanoma in 1994 as his daughter moved to Chicago for college. He ultimately defeated skin cancer twice, only to be diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2011, soon after his second grandchild was born. A successful bone marrow transplant gave him more time than the five years doctors predicted initially. He enjoyed this second wind and participated in milestones such as his son’s wedding, the birth of his third grandchild and his own 50th wedding anniversary. He also lived to see the Detroit Tigers in the World Series again.

After 12 years of enduring the ups and downs of fighting cancer, David died peacefully in the presence of his wife and children at McLaren Hospital on August 4, 2023.

David leaves behind his wife, Susan Pinter; his children, Kimberly (Marc) Arakelian of Naperville, IL, and Jeremy (Laura) Pinter of Grand Rapids; and three grandchildren, Remy, Sosi and Pierre Arakelian. Memorials may be made in David’s name to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation or Martin Luther Chapel in East Lansing.