David "Dave" Arthur VanGheem, 78, of Lakewood, WI passed away unexpectedly on Thursday, July 8, 2021, at his home in Lakewood.

Dave was born in Milwaukee, WI on January 3, 1943, to the late Raymond VanGheem and Charlotte VanGheem.  As a child, Dave and his family moved to the De Pere area.  Later in his life,  Dave and his family resided in Howard where they built a life and raised a family.  Later into his retirement, Dave settled into life at his beloved cottage in Lakewood, WI.

Dave graduated from East De Pere High School in 1961.  After High School, Dave joined the military and proudly served in the Marines as an aircraft mechanic for four years where he served overseas and domestically in South Carolina.  After his honorable discharge from the military, Dave worked at Clark Lift as a Parts Specialist for 30 years and at Harper Corporation as a Material Handler for 15 years.

Dave was married to the love of his life, Sandra "Sandi" VanGheem (Weycker) on October 22, 1966.  The couple was getting ready to celebrate their 55 ^th wedding anniversary this year.

Dave was always working on a project – wood working or fixing something at the cottage.  He loved working with his hands, putting his many tools to use, and spending time in his beloved garages.  Dave enjoyed feeding the deer and watching them in the backyard.  He cherished spending time with his beloved cat, Ella Grace, the two were inseparable.  More than anything, Dave enjoyed spending time with his kids and grandkids teaching them life lessons about working hard, how to be kind in difficult situations, and to stay humble.  When Dave was not enjoying family time, you could find him cheering on his favorite WI sports teams.  He was a diehard Packers fan!

Dave is survived by his wife Sandi and their children Kristine "Kris" Payant (Robert), Dana VanGheem, Wendi Scharenbroch, and Alan "Al" VanGheem (Melissa), and special family friend Marty Johnson.  Dave was blessed with eight grandchildren Josh Johnson, Michael Johnson, Jesse Johnson, Adam Johnson, Caleb Payant, Nathan Scharenbroch, Cody VanGheem (Heather), and Alyssa VanGheem. Dave was also a great-grandfather to Eleanore VanGheem and had another great-granddaughter on the way. Dave is also survived by his brother John VanGheem (Michelle), his brother Jim VanGheem, and sister Sue Walsh (Mike).   Numerous nieces and nephews also are survived by Dave.

Dave is proceeded in death by his brother Dick VanGheem, his sister Mary Vissers (Tony), his parents, and his in-laws Mary Weycker (Bakken) and Orville Weycker.

A memorial gathering to celebrate the life of Dave VanGheem will be held at the Pfotenhauer Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Howard-Suamico location, 1145 Cardinal Lane, on Friday, July 23, 2021 from 3:00 until 6:00 p.m. with  a service beginning at 6:00 p.m. Online condolences welcome at www.PfotenhauerFuneralHome.com.

The family wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to the volunteer fire department in Lakewood and the surrounding areas who responded to the call and acted with such heroism. In addition, the family would like to thank neighbors Linda, Jim, and Dan for their efforts, support, and love.