David Forest Engleson, age 56, passed away peacefully in his sleep on April 8, 2020 at his home in St. Paul, MN.
David was born in Puerto Rico to parents, Cay and Jerry Engleson, joining brothers and sisters Joe, Tom, Larry, Peg, Cathy, and Ann. In 1973 David and his family moved to Kaiserslautern, West Germany where David attended school. Growing up, David loved swimming and snorkeling the northwestern beaches of Puerto Rico and golfing, skiing, and playing tennis in Germany. In fact, it was living in Europe where David’s love of art and architecture grew.
After graduating from Kaiserslautern American High School in 1982, David returned to the US to attend college. He graduated from NDSU in 1988 with a degree in architecture and, in 1992, joined Cuningham Group Architects, a firm in Minneapolis. For 28 years David used his talents on many projects including Caring and Sharing Hands, Mary’s Place, and Epic Systems Campus. At Cuningham he enjoyed working with, mentoring, and befriending many colleagues and clients.
David met Mary Fritz from Winona, MN, at NDSU, where she also studied architecture. Mary recalls David sitting at her drafting table talking about his parents and siblings; this love of family was one of the things that attracted her to David. In 1995 they married. They enjoyed 25 years together and shared many interests including travel, cooking, walking, the outdoors, and spending time with family.
One of David’s many passions was building and flying radio‐controlled gliders with “The Geeks” (Academy of Model Aeronautics). He loved his weekend trips to South Dakota with the club to fly, talk flying, and be with flyers. He donated airplane building supplies as well as his talents to encourage younger pilot‐wannabes to explore radio‐controlled flying. David and his flying friends formed Sledworks and enjoyed hosting an annual flying event in Owatonna, MN.
David loved telling stories and, like his father, was a wonderful storyteller. As much as anything, it was this ability to relate to people that endeared David to all he met. He was a generational “bridge” that made him loved, whether you were a four‐year‐old great‐nephew who David took golfing (“Nice shot, Davey!”) or a fellow flyer 30 years David’s senior.
From his perspective, David just loved people. When asked about his hobbies or collections, David would reply, “I collect good people.” Whenever David found a good person, he would spend time and really get to know that person. As a result, David ended up with a wonderful – and large – collection of good people. (And if you’re reading this with tears in your eyes, you were one in David’s collection.)
David loved architecture, but he didn’t let his job define him. He marched to his own drummer and if something interested him, he pursued the topic vigorously. He built his own motorcycle, created scores of gliders, played hockey, winter camped, drew cartoons, painted, displayed his artwork in a gallery showing, and delighted many nieces and nephews with his humor and skill with Photoshop. When it came to trying new things, David was fearless.
Other hobbies included golfing, sketching and drawing, skiing, and being a wonderful goofball. “The funniest, kindest, and most gifted artist I ever knew,” is a fitting description of our beloved David.
David is survived by his wife, Mary; father Jerry (Mesa, AZ); siblings Joe and Barbara (Carlsbad, CA), Tom (Corvallis, OR), Larry and Kim (Atlanta, GA), Peg and Greg Palen (North Oaks, MN), Cathy and Terry Traut (Silver Lake, NH), and Ann (San Antonio, TX); 13 adoring nieces and nephews; and 17 great nieces and nephews who worshipped David. He joins his mother, Cay, who passed away in 2011, and sister‐in‐law, Barb, who passed away in 2019.
Due to the current pandemic, funeral services will be private. A Catholic mass to celebrate David’s life will be held at a later date. We know that David’s many friends will want to come together to celebrate David’s life and share memories and stories. We will notify friends and colleagues of the Mass and Celebration of Life later this year.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA www.apdaparkinson.org) to honor David’s mother, Cay, who suffered from Parkinson’s before her death.
Giddy‐up.