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Moeller Funeral Home 104 Roosevelt Road Valparaiso, IN 46383 (219) 462-0535 |
Kosanke Funeral Home 105 East Indiana Avenue Kouts, IN 46347 (219) 766-2224 |
Wanatah Funeral
Chapel 309 North Main Street Wanatah, IN 46390 (219) 733-2313 |
Angelcrest Cemetery Highway 49 and 600 North Valparaiso, IN 46383 (219) 531-8690 |
David A. Klingensmith
2/11/1956—4/24/2022 of Lowell, Indiana
On
Sunday April 24, 2022, David “Dave” A. Klingensmith,
beloved dad, grandfather, brother and uncle, slipped away quietly after
his long journey with glioblastoma. He lived far longer than we ever
would have imagined as he was in hospice care for about eleven months.
He had arrived fairly sullen but once hospice brought in an acoustic
rock guitarist, his real self came out as he began to tap in rhythm,
smile, talk, and laugh. At the next visit he had his own guitar to play.
Everyone knew he was all about rock music. Alexa brought music which
made him happy and gave him something to focus on and enjoy as the
glioblastoma advanced. His world and vocabulary really shrank, and he
was not very aware, but he still could respond in a minute way to the
Beatles, Eagles and AC/DC. “That’s a good one”.
Dave was born in Boston, MA and frequent moves
took the family to suburban Washington DC, New Orleans, LA and
Cleveland, OH since his father was in the Coast Guard. Dave settled in
NW Indiana in the late 1970s and last lived in Lowell. Dave
was a trucker for thirty years. He had an early interest in the guitar
and when he heard Jimi Hendrix his passion and playing took off.
Mechanical and electrical skills came easily. He built a short-wave
radio when he was eleven that picked up other countries. As a kid he was
fearless, successfully water skiing and ice skating on the first try and
popping wheelies on his English racer. Always the talker, he had plenty
of stories and he gave advice from years of driving: keep a safe
distance from the vehicle ahead. If you need to pull over to the side of
the road, try to take the next off ramp so it’s less likely a distracted
driver will plow into you. He had a unique way of putting things. “You
should be reasonably aggressive when driving in a busy city”.
He
is remembered as a kind soul with a gentle spirit, self-effacing and
devoted to music. The owner of the music shop he frequented referred to
him as a mild-mannered cat. That sums him up pretty well.
Proceeding Dave in death were his parents,
Sandra A. Connolly and David C. Klingensmith. He is survived by his
siblings: Kate, Butte, MT; and brother Jon (Joyce Sullivan), Topsfield,
MA; children: Allison, Merrillville, IN, Tim (Chantel), Houma, LA, and
Nathan, Worcester, MA. He is also survived by four grandchildren: Lennon
Quinn, Remington August, Athena Rose, and Hudson Holliday Klingensmith
of Houma, LA, and numerous cousins.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date.
A special thanks to Dunes Hospice and Golden Living Center, Valparaiso.
Memorials can be made to Dunes Hospice Foundation Inc. 4711 Evans Ave.
Valparaiso, IN 46383. www.duneshospicellc.com
or Brain Tumor Network, 816 A1A North, Suite 207, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
32082. www.braintumornetwork.org
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