WERNER, DAVID

David Darrell Werner, age 87, took one last breath and departed on yet another journey on Friday, July 19, 2024 from Henderson, Nevada.

David was born in Tacoma, Washington on November 3, 1936 to David Daniel and Ruth (Norman) Werner, the eldest of three children. He considered himself an introvert, but he lived a gutsy life that was shaped by a transient upbringing across the rural landscapes of Washington, Oregon, and Montana. He found his footing within a variety of communities and their churches, schools and youth groups. As a teenager, the family settled in Saint Ignatius, Montana. David was a judicious student at Mission High School, active in a range of activities from band to boxing, and graduated as salutatorian in 1954.

With travel in his blood, and driven by a voracious appetite for education and adventure, David embarked on a course for college, first starting out at Concordia in Portland Oregon, then on to the University of Montana (formerly MSU). He worked three jobs simultaneously and earned a Bachelors Degree in Political Science in 1959.

Intrigued by ships of that era and the art and science of navigating waterways, David left Missoula for San Diego to join the Navy and was rewarded with an oceanic excursion to Hong Kong. After serving as an ensign that first year, David went for a promotion at officer candidate school in Newport RI. There he served as legal officer aboard the USS Yorktown “The Fighting Lady” of WWII. Upon an Honorable Discharge, he returned to Montana to teach English at Inverness High School on “The High Line” where he met his wife, Paulette McFadden, also a teacher. It wasn’t long before David’s yearning moved the couple to Missoula where he earned a Masters Degree in English, while Paulette taught second grade at Lewis and Clark Elementary School. In 1969 he accepted a position at Aims Community College in Greeley, Colorado, where teaching humanities, literature, and composition to dozens of students over 11 years was an adventure all its own. Meanwhile, David earned a Master’s Degree in Librarianship at Denver University. When the opportunity presented itself, he took the position as library director at Aims, where he remained until retirement in 1994.

Paulette and David had divorced in 1993, and David returned to Missoula to be near his aging mother, who still lived independently in Saint Ignatius. He bought a sloop boat named, Windsong, docked in Dayton Harbor on Flathead Lake, and learned to sail. David also occupied himself by working part-time at Mansfield Library on Campus, taking advantage of such perks as discounted season passes to Griz games. He spent quality time with his mom until her death in 2004, and with a niece’s increasingly extending family, until, inevitably perhaps, David had somewhere to go. He retreated to Henderson in 2015 for its proximity craps tables, all-you-can-eat buffets, ample sunshine, and for its distance from winter weather. Naturally, he traveled extensively, visiting the FDR Museum and taking in a Yankees game in New York, en route to tour classical antiquity. He also made at least one trip to Lower Saxony, Germany to see a pen pal, Joachim S. (and his wife), whom he remained in contact with since 1959.

In recent years, David became burdened by a number of health complications that started with an ankle injury. He adapted to a more sedentary lifestyle by painstakingly cataloging and digitizing the vast collection of images he’d amassed as a photography enthusiast – starting as a young boy in Oregon, where he developed his own film for the first time in a horse trough.

In spite of his cascading health challenges, decreasing mobility, increasing fatigue and dependence on caregivers, David maintained an upbeat attitude, his sense of humor intact, no doubt helped by his healthy mental agility. He’s remembered as a scintillating (and, let’s face it, sometimes scathing) intellectualist, who never turned down an invitation for a home-cooked meal. To most who knew him, he was just a deep-down, all-around nice guy.

He is survived by siblings, Lemoin (Larry) Weidman of East Helena MT, and Ken (Barb) Werner of Loveland CO; nieces and nephews, Lyrae (Dan) Becker, Kenneth D. Werner, Jason Werner, Leslie (Jim) Lang, and Lowell (Missy) Weidman; and an abundance of great nieces, nephews, and great-great nieces and nephews. David was fond of his family, fascinated by family histories, and had arranged at least a few reunions. He paid meaningful visits to his many aunts, cousins and other relatives across several states over the years that even included a cruise to Odessa, a not-too distant homeland on the Black Sea.

In accordance with David’s final itinerary, cremation has taken place; a graveside service (without committal) will be in Saint Ignatius at Pleasant View Cemetery on Sunday, September 8, 2024 at 1:00 PM. Memorial gifts in David’s memory may be made to Aims Community College, Greeley CO, and the University of Montana, Missoula.