David Allen Dumke passed peacefully on February 16th, 2026 surrounded by family and the care team with St Croix Hospice and Crossroads Care Center in Weyauwega, WI.
He was born February 21, 1936 in Marinette, WI to the late William and Hertha Dumke, the middle of nine children. He was a 1954 graduate of Marinette High School, served with the United States Air Force from 1959-1963, and went to college at UW-Madison for a semester as well as two years at Milwaukee School of Engineering on the GI bill. He loved to travel worldwide, fish, hunt and was very talented at woodworking. He also had a very successful career in mechanical engineering after graduating MSOE until 1991. He worked post retirement in Jackson Hole, WY in a tourist shop in 2007. He pioneered the van life and was very successful at it, using his frugal lifestyle skills from surviving the tail end of the Great Depression years.
Surviving are a daughter: Heidi Timmerman, two grandchildren: Mathias and Danielle, two brothers: George (Mary) and Roy (Holly) Dumke, and a sister Karen (Rick) Kuran. Preceded in death by a brother, William Lempke, and sisters, Mary Hovey, Alice Rastall, Esther Dumke, and Joan Guillaume. Also surviving are many nieces, nephews, other family members and friends.
A Veterans’ memorial service will be held for David this coming summer at the Central Wisconsin Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in King, WI. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to be made to the National Veterans Foundation at nvf.org.
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