David Lee Smizer was born January 17, 1957 in the Burke Hospital to Harlan and Dorothy (Ulrich) Smizer and he died April 6, 2005 at Derby, Kansas at the age of 48 years, 2 months and 19 days.

David attended school in Burke, graduating from Burke High School in 1975. He was a standout at BHS and received many honors including the Sonny Locher Award, which is awarded to a senior with both outstanding athletic and scholastic achievement. He had fond memories of his boyhood years growing up on the farm, and always felt at home in the Burke Community.

In 1975 David received a West Point appointment from Senator Jim Abdnor. He attended West Point for three years and completed his Civil Engineering degree at the South Dakota School of Mines. David served his country both overseas in Germany and at home in the National Guard.

David celebrated life through his two children: daughter Morgan is a sophomore at the University of Kansas, and son Dexter is a freshman at Derby High School. His children and their accomplishments in gymnastics, wrestling and golf were a great source of pride for Dave. For several years, he brought his son Dexter and several other young wrestlers back to Burke for the annual youth wrestling tournament.

First Boeing and then Dexter Hysol, purchased by Henkel Aerospace, were the places where Dave hung his business hat. People and the Aerospace industry were two of his passions, and in his career he was able to follow both. Throughout the years, he received multiple awards recognizing high achievement in his field.

David enjoyed golfing, golfing and golfing Through his business travels he was able to golf all over the United States. One close friend measured their friendship by all of the golf swings they had shared through the years.

David was baptized and grew up in the Herrick Methodist Church, which played an important role in his young life. As an adult, the Wisconsin Synod Lutheran Church in Derby was his spiritual home. David loved his church, served as an elder, and taught bible study classes weekly.

Grateful for having shared his life are: a daughter, Morgan of Lawrence, KS; a son, Dexter of Derby, KS; parents Harlan Sr. and Dorothy Smizer of Herrick, SD; brother, Harlan, Jr. (Butch) and wife Vicki Smizer of Rapid City, SD; sister, Sue and husband Mark Galvin and their children Alex, Haley and Jefferson of Dakota Dunes, SD; sister, Sandy and husband Rick Teigen and their children: Matt, Chad and Chris of Vermillion, SD; sister, Anita and husband Tim Hakin and their children Clayton and Sally Mae of Burke, SD; and sister, Katie Smizer of Scottsdale, AZ.



Funeral services will be held on Monday, April 11, 2005 at 10:30 AM at Clausen Funeral Home in Burke. There will be a prayer service on Sunday, April 10, 2005 at 7:30 PM at the Herrick Methodist Church in Herrick, SD. Burial will be in the Graceland Cemetery, Burke, SD.