Benson Funeral Home

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 AM on Thursday, December 5, 2024 at Calvary Community Church, St. Cloud. Visitation will be from 4:00-7:00 PM on Wednesday, December 4, 2024 at Benson Funeral Home and one hour prior to the service at church. Burial will be in North Star Cemetery

David was born December 29, 1931, to Henry and Katherine Thiessen in The Dalles, Oregon. He lived in Oregon until the age of 9, at which time his father Henry moved the family back to the original Thiessen homestead outside Lambert, Montana. In Montana, he met the love of his life, Darlene Petrik and married her on April 1, 1953. They chose the Bible verse, Psalm 34:3 as the focus of their life together. “O magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together.”

He attended Wheaton College in Illinois from 1949 to 1951 then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to finish his degree in Business Administration, graduating from the University of Minnesota in 1954. After college, he took employment with Northwestern Bell, moving between Minneapolis, Hibbing, and Duluth, Minnesota. During that time, he and Darlene had five children together. In 1967 he purchased a ServiceMaster franchise in St. Cloud, Minnesota, where the dynamic duo of David and Darlene settled for the remainder of his life. They put down deep roots in the St. Cloud area and became respected members of the community. He was actively involved in leadership at Calvary Baptist (Community) Church, a local business owner, a private pilot, and heavily involved in creative missions work abroad (particularly missions aviation).

He was a man of unshakable faith in Christ Jesus. He owned and read an extraordinary number of books. He was generous and loved people. Seeing potential in every person he met, he eagerly poured the full measure of his energy and wealth into each person God brought across his path. He was remarkably good at remembering names, from his multitude of grandchildren to the wait staff at his favorite restaurants, to the many caretakers and medical professionals who cared for him in recent years. He loved a good joke and was a legendary prankster. He was always quick to make a wisecrack, and even quicker to crack a smile. He was a lifetime student (and teacher) of God’s Word and endeavored to follow Jesus in every aspect of his life. He was marked by joy and genuine gratitude for the people in his life and for the gifts of his Heavenly Father. He will be dearly missed by his family and all who had the pleasure of knowing him.

He is survived by his wife, Darlene (Petrik) Thiessen; his 5 children, Deborah (and Jon) Crabtree, Kathy (and Roger) Gillson, David Wayne (and Kathy) Thiessen, Kerri (and Duane) Olson, Jerold (and Tamara) Thiessen; his 22 grandchildren, Nate (and Annie) Crabtree, Rebecca (and Travis) Mummey, Sarah (and Eric Gates), Angelina Crabtree, Rowan (and Jocelyn) Gillson, Kirsten Gillson, Micale Gillson, Kennan Gillson, Elise (and Greg) Lawrence, Toria (and Jordan) Marsh, Lauren (and Michael) Tiemann, Lindsey (and Graham) Johnson, David Michael (and Maggie) Thiessen, Craig (and Allison) Thiessen, Katelyn (and Jacob) Mozeika, Kendra (and Tristan) Cortez, Darby Olson, Delaney Olson, Zachary Olson, Kelly (and Reagan) Anderson, Ryan (and Samantha) Thiessen, Abbey Thiessen; and his 31 great-grandchildren, Hannah Crabtree, Noah Crabtree, Josie Crabtree, Brodie Gates, Logan Gates, Porter Gates, Piper Gates, Lewis Gillson, Henri (Harry) Gillson, Calvin Lawrence, Merryn Lawrence, Sylvie Marsh, Lincoln Tiemann, Pax Johnson, Titus Johnson, Nova Johnson, Theo Johnson, Ruby Johnson, Henry (David) Thiessen, Martha Thiessen, Joseph (Thatcher) Thiessen, Iris Thiessen, Jude Thiessen, Olive Thiessen, Shyra Mozeika, Kato Mozeika, Aliyah Mozeika, Tirzah Mozeika, Hobbes Mozeika, Finnigan Thiessen, Lucy Thiessen (and three more on the way!).