David Henry Herbig

David Henry Herbig was born to Dorothy Stewart and Heinrich Herbig on September 22, 1940. While growing up in Minneapolis, he enjoyed reading and watching movies. In his childhood, Dave and his mom fostered a special kinship that continued long after. Dave attended Roosevelt High School where he partook in ski jumping and excelled in academics. He graduated from Roosevelt in the spring of 1958 and joined the Marines directly after. Dave served in the Marines 11^th Artillery FDC from 1958-1961. In 1968, Dave graduated from the University of Minnesota with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Shortly after that he began working for Northern States Power in Minneapolis.

In the Fall of 1962, Dave met Evonne Gayle Bishop on a blind date. They were married the next year on October 5. Dave and Evonne were blessed with three beautiful daughters: Elizabeth, Theresa, and Stephanie. The young family made their home in Kimball, MN until Dave’s new job took them on a new adventure to Portland, Oregon. While there, Dave enjoyed lots of time with his family including skate nights in the garage and weekend trips to Cannon Beach. In 1985, Dave and his family found their way back to Vadnais Heights, Minnesota. Living in many places allowed Dave and Evonne the opportunity to open their home to many different foreign exchange students whom they thought of as their own and remember fondly. Dave continued his career in civil engineering with NSP until his retirement in 2000. After his retirement, Dave began working for a consulting company that had him partaking in worldwide travel. Once he officially retired, Dave and Evonne built their home in Barnesville, MN, and started wintering in Tucson, Arizona; a tradition that lasted 20 years.

Dave and Evonne shared a love of travel, this led them to reaching all 50 states and many countries. A few of Dave’s most memorable trips included Israel, Australia, and New Zealand. They shared their love of travelling with their six grandchildren by taking each of them on a trip when they reached the age of twelve. Dave also had a passion for golf, spending countless hours on the course and often bringing a grandkid or two with. One of Dave’s biggest goals was to take a trip to watch the Masters, he was able to fulfill his dream and attend in 2017.  Dave had inherited a love of model trains from his father and at one point took over the basement to build a large-scale display. His passion for reading and old movies also carried over from childhood. While in Barnesville, Dave served as Commander of the American Legion Post 153. He and Evonne were also committed members of Our Saviors Lutheran Church. With life taking him many places, Dave was able to be a member of many different church families where he served as a confirmation leader, Sunday school teacher, and on the Board of Elders.

In 2023, Dave and Evonne celebrated 60 years of marriage surrounded by their family with homemade meal. Their love was alive and well and could be seen by many through Dave’s continuous flirting with his bride. Another thing that kept their marriage strong was Evonne’s ability to reach Dave’s heart through his stomach. Dave never stopped boasting about her cooking and amazing sweets. The last few years strengthened their love as Dave fought hard against lung cancer. In December, the decision was made to begin care under Hospice. The staff and people involved in this process were extremely helpful and we cannot thank them enough for making Dave as comfortable as possible in the end. Dave passed away in his home on June 4, 2024, at the age of 83 years, 8 months, and 13 days.

David is survived by his loving wife, Evonne; daughters Elizabeth (Dean) Calpas of Monticello, Theresa (Matt) Halverson of Sabin, and Stephanie (Todd) Bertram of Springfield; grandchildren, Nicole (Sam) Ecker, Nathan and Lauren Halverson, Conner, Noah, and Owen David Bertram; great granddaughter Scottie Ecker; sister-in-law Diane (Roger) Bukkila; nephew Keith Bukkila; great niece Emily Bukkila and great nephew Travis Olson.

He was preceded in death by his parents and nieces Kimberly Ostlund and Kelly Bukkila.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, June 9, 2024, from 5-7 PM with a Prayer Service at 7:00 PM at Dobmeier Funeral Home in Barnesville, MN.  Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Monday.  

Memorial services will be 11:00 AM, Monday, June 10, 2024, at Our Saviors Lutheran Church in Barnesville with Rev. Ali Haugerud and Rev. Clay Ellingson officiating.  Military honors will be performed by the Barnesville American Legion and VFW honor squad.