David Ralph Dickhaut was born Sept 15, 1946, in Lansing, Michigan, to Ralph Edward Dickhaut and Barbara Marion Dickhaut (Allen). He passed away all too quickly, without warning, on August 13, 2019. David was the greatly beloved--and greatly missed--husband and best friend of Connie Lee Dickhaut (Comstock) for almost 50 years.
He was a caring and supportive spouse and lived an active and interesting life. In 1965 he played trombone in the University of Michigan marching band at the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena. While working full-time for General Motors in Lansing for over 52 years, first at the Verlinden plant and then at the new Delta plant, David graduated from Lansing Community College and earned a bachelor of arts from Michigan State University. Continuing his education, he worked on a doctoral degree in anthropology at MSU while doing fieldwork in Sri Lanka, until he was appointed a member of the first class of UAW industrial hygiene technicians.
David said in a speech later in life that his goal was to ensure that “everyone goes home every day the same as they came to work--unbroken, uninjured, and healthy.” This was his driving passion and he dedicated his life to worker safety, donating his personal time and money to further these goals. He was inspired to go back to school at the University of Michigan, School of Public Health, becoming the first UAW industrial hygienist technician to obtain a master of science in industrial health. The UAW International appointed David as a local union discussion leader.
David was a longtime member of the Michigan Safety Council Industrial Hygiene Training Division. He was also heavily involved in the Michigan Safety Conference (MSC), chairing its registration committee from 2006-2013. He was named to MSC’s board of directors in 2008, served as MSC president for three years, and became a senior board member in 2018. As MSC Executive Director Denise McGinn noted, David was a “proud proponent of workplace health and safety, not only at his workplace, but for all workplaces in the State of Michigan.”
David was a certified industrial hygienist with the American Board of Industrial Hygiene and was active in Western Michigan’s Industrial Hygiene Society and served on the Social Concerns Committee of the American Industrial Hygiene Association. David loved his work and was planning to return to General Motors when he fell ill.
David had a wicked sense of humor. He practiced yoga for most of his life and advocated for homeless and neglected cats. He volunteered for the Democratic Party. He also served as Board Member for Friends of Cooley Gardens. Roses were a special interest of his. Time spent with friends was an important part of his life, especially around good food. When those interests could be combined with time spent up north with his wife by the lake, David was at his happiest and most peaceful.
David will be greatly missed and leaves a huge hole in many lives. He is succeeded by his wife, Connie, and his sisters, Carol Anne Poole (Dickhaut) and Kathy Suzanne Love (Dickhaut) and nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Michigan Nature Conservancy, 101 East Cesar E. Chavez Avenue, Lansing, MI 48906 or the Capitol Area Humane Society, 7095 West Grand River Avenue, Lansing, MI 48906
Visitation at Gorsline Runciman East Chapel, 1730 East Grand River Avenue, East Lansing, Tuesday, Aug. 27 from 1 p.m. until memorial service at 2 p.m.
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