David C. MENZEL

Age 90, of St. Paul, formerly of White Bear Lake. David passed away peacefully on July 27, 2019, at Sholom Bentson Family Assisted Living Residence. David grew up in Homewood, IL, a suburb of Chicago, and graduated from Thornton Township High School in 1947. In 1951, he received a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he was a member of the Alpha Kappa Lambda fraternity. After graduation, he worked for several years at Underwriters Laboratories in Chicago before serving in the U.S. Army. His military service included teaching mine detector operation and repair in occupied Germany. After returning to the States and while serving in the Army Reserve, he worked at Revere Camera Company in Chicago. In 1963, when the company was acquired by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (now 3M), he moved to St. Paul, MN. At 3M, he designed power supplies and audio amplifiers for tape recorders, and later provided quality control for overhead projectors. Several years after his move, David met his wife-to-be, Charlotte Thomson, who worked at his dentist's office as the receptionist and office manager. They married on a beautiful summer day in 1967. In 1968, they bought a home in White Bear Lake, where they raised their two children, Krista and Gregory. David retired from 3M in 1989. After Charlotte's death in 2009, David remained in his home for 6.5 years, and then moved to Sholom assisted living in St. Paul, close to both of his children. He was a 70-year amateur (ham) radio operator (W0LTW) and held regular scheduled contacts with friends and family. He also enjoyed family trips — especially to Minnesota's North Shore — photography, cats, bowling, sailing, classical music, college basketball, Viking's football and science and nature television programs. Unusual for his age, inspired by his children's interest, he was an early adopter of home computers in the early 1980s. Preceded in death by parents, Carl and Regina, sister, Alberta Bertelsen, and wife, Charlotte. Survived by children, Krista and Gregory, cousins, in-laws, nieces, nephews, and friends, including lifelong friend, Charles Bremigan. The family would like to thank the Sholom staff for providing excellent care for David over the past three years. Memorials preferred to Animal Humane Society ( animalhumanesociety.org ), Twin Cities Public Television ( tpt.org ), or Sholom ( giving.sholom.com ).