David "Dave" Thoennes, Sr.

David “Dave” Thoennes, Sr., age 63, of Breckenridge, MN, passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, June 23, 2022, at Essentia Hospital, Fargo, ND. Visitation will be held from 5 PM to 7 PM, Monday, June 27, 2022, at Joseph Vertin and Sons Funeral Home, Breckenridge. Visitation will continue from 12 PM to 1 PM, Tuesday, June 28, 2022, followed by the funeral service at 1 PM at Joseph Vertin and Sons Funeral Home. Burial will be held in Oak Grove Cemetery, Fergus Falls, MN. Arrangements have been entrusted to Joseph Vertin and Sons Funeral Home.

Dave was born on November 7, 1958, in Fergus Falls, MN, the fifth child to Jerome and Lauretta (Schott) Thoennes. He grew up in Doran and attended Campbell Elementary and High School. After his formal education, he began working at Farmer’s Union building grain bins and spreading fertilizer. He spent nearly 27 years dedicated to his work and amassed many lifelong friendships while there. In 1987, Dave began working for Valley Fertilizer in Doran, MN, where he continued to work with fertilizer. He was a skilled mechanic and he began teaching his boys, Dave and Tim, at a young age how to repair, detail, and restore vehicles. He approached teaching his kids, but truly anyone else who wanted to learn, with compassion and patience. Most recently, Dave was employed at Minnkota Ag Products and continued to be a respected and deeply valued employee.

Family was the cornerstone of Dave’s life; he cherished time coaching his sons and encouraging them through life. He was a proud grandfather and great-grandfather and loved spending time with his grandchildren at Long Lake in Fergus Falls. Despite having a quiet demeanor, Dave’s generosity was loud and he poured any resource he could into helping those around him. Though, he was never one to easily accept help from others. He was skilled in nearly every department and never ran out of projects to keep him busy. Building a deck for his son, restoring his boys Monte Carlo and Oldsmobile Cutlass, and woodworking projects were just a few ways he used his talents. He enjoyed the simple things in life, especially, fishing and ice fishing, sitting by the fire, and drinking a beer. Throughout the years, he and his dear friends, Ryan Leinen and Brian Langseth went on many fishing trips in Canada. Above all, he deeply loved his family.

He will be deeply missed by his sons, David Jr. (Paulette) Thoennes and Tim (Kelcie) Thoennes; grandchildren, Mary (Cary) Budke, Melissa (Brady) Weispfennig, Isaac Thoennes III, Maya Thoennes, Mckenna Thoennes; great-grandchildren, Olivia Budke and Lola Budke; siblings, Ray (Linda) Thoennes, Rich (Susan) Thoennes, Linda (Bruce) Helkenn, Karen Milbrandt, John (Amanda) Thoennes, and Laurie (Tom) Roberts; and many nieces, great-nieces, nephews, great-nephews, and cousins.

Dave was preceded in death by his parents, Jerome and Lauretta Thoennes; maternal and paternal grandparents; brother lost in infancy, Daniel Thoennes; and nephews, Jeremy Thoennes and Ryan Thoennes.