David John Bartels was born on December 24, 1973 in Pipestone, Minnesota, the son of Harvey and Marles (Gilliland) Bartels. He was baptized and confirmed in his faith at Peace United Methodist Church in Pipestone. Dave grew up in Pipestone and graduated in 1992 from Pipestone Area High School. He furthered his education at the Southeast Technical Institute earning an Associate Degree in Architectural Design.
Dave was united in marriage on September 16, 1995 to Sarah Zenk at Peace United Methodist Church in Pipestone. Dave and Sarah made their home in Sioux Center, Iowa where he worked for Interstate Electric. In 2003, the couple moved to Clarkfield and Dave began his career at Fagen Engineering as an electrical designer.
Dave was a 4-H Leader for the Granite Go-Getters. He enjoyed fishing and hunting and whenever he was watching TV he always had some sort of sporting event on, his two favorite teams being the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. Family was everything to Dave, he truly lived for them and even through his battle with cancer, he refused to give up because of his love for his dear wife and children. He will be remembered for his courage, strength, kindness, and humility.
Dave is survived by his wife, Sarah Bartels of Clarkfield; daughters, Stephanie Bartels of Granite Falls, Sandy Bartels of Granite Falls; son, Danny Bartels of Clarkfield; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Stan and Sharon Zenk of Foley; siblings, Dale Bartels of Chester, SD, Allen (Shelly) Bartels of Grand Island, NE, Randy (JoAnn) Bartels of Garritson, MN, Diane (Dana) Clark of Pipestone, MN, Deb Biever of Sioux Falls, SD; brother-in-law, Sam Zenk of Monticello; sister-in-law, Susan Wiley of Foley; as well as nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Dave is preceded in death by his parents, Harvey and Marles Bartels.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of David Bartels, please visit our flower store.