David Smiglewski
d. September 22, 2023
David Smiglewski, age 70, of Granite Falls, Minnesota passed away on Friday, September 22, 2023 at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC.
A Celebration of Life is being planned for Saturday, October 28, 2023, at 1:30 pm at Granite Falls Lutheran Church. A visitation will be held from 5 to 7 pm on Friday October 27th at the Granite Falls Lutheran Church and will continue one hour prior to services on Saturday.
David Gregory “Smig” Smiglewski was born March 10, 1953, the son of Clarence & Dorothy (Kittelson) Smiglewski, in Granite Falls. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church. Dave earned his Eagle Scout badge while in high school and graduated from Granite Falls High School in 1971. Dave continued his education at Mankato State University and transferred to the University of Minnesota and then Southwest State University.
Dave was united in marriage to Cindy Nordang on September 10, 1983, at the Granite Falls Lutheran Church. The couple recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Dave went to work for the BNSF railroad and retired after 30 years as a Maintenance Foreman and track inspector. He soon found himself in a second career at the Granite Falls Advocate Tribune as a publisher & columnist.
Dave was appointed to fill a vacant City Council seat on July 16, 1979, and assumed the position of Mayor following the death of Mayor Roy Lenzen on February 5, 1996. He served as Mayor of Granite Falls for 27 years and as a Council Member for 16 years previously. In 2016, he received a Bush Fellowship and went on to graduate from the Metropolitan State University with a BA in Civic Engagement. Dave’s time was also spent as a board member of many local and statewide organizations, frequently advocating for Granite Falls in his time associated with the League of Minnesota Cities and the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities among many, many others. Dave especially took an interest in his role as board member of Project Turnabout and Friends of Upper Sioux Agency State Park. In his spare time, he enjoyed gardening, biking, hiking, traveling, and was a music enthusiast and drummer for the Good Time Railroad band. He was an avid Twins fan and had a love for maps and astronomy.
He cherished his time spent with family and especially his grandchildren. He had recently been honored to throw out the first pitch for the Junior Legion State Baseball Tournament in Granite Falls, and the receiver of his pitch was his grandson Kian. Indeed, Dave rarely missed events for his grandchildren, whether it be a basketball game, band concert, volleyball or tennis match, dance or piano recital, baseball game, or bowling.
Known widely as “Mr. Granite Falls,” Dave was an avid enthusiast of all things related to Granite Falls and was particularly interested in the history of the area & was gifted in his retelling of the many fascinating stories the town has collected over its timeline. Dave had a thirst for knowledge and was passionate in his enthusiasm for both learning & teaching alike. In politics, Dave was keen to understand others’ perspectives and collaborated across the aisle as he sought to bridge political divisiveness in the name of the common good for his community. Dave also possessed a sharp memory, and a mind set on retaining as much information as possible. In his own words, he liked to read “information mostly,” and was generous in his time discussing the finer points of nearly any topic. His intellect and curiosity truly knew no bounds.
Dave passed away in Washington, DC on September 22, 2023. He was 70 years of age.
He was preceded in death by his parents Clarence & Dorothy Smiglewski and his in-laws Marvin & Beverly Nordang.
He is survived by his wife Cindy; three children: Laurel (Chad) Christianson of Granite Falls; Cody (Katie Grundl) of Minneapolis and Seth (Lauryn Buda) of St. Paul; his grandchildren Kian, Evan, and Cora Christianson; sister Sandra (Tom) Clawson of Albert Lea and many extended family and close friends.
A Celebration of Life is being planned for Saturday, October 28, 2023, at 1:30 pm at Granite Falls Lutheran Church. A visitation will be held from 5 to 7 pm on Friday October 27th at the Granite Falls Lutheran Church and will continue one hour prior to services on Saturday.
David Gregory “Smig” Smiglewski was born March 10, 1953, the son of Clarence & Dorothy (Kittelson) Smiglewski, in Granite Falls. He was baptized and confirmed at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church. Dave earned his Eagle Scout badge while in high school and graduated from Granite Falls High School in 1971. Dave continued his education at Mankato State University and transferred to the University of Minnesota and then Southwest State University.
Dave was united in marriage to Cindy Nordang on September 10, 1983, at the Granite Falls Lutheran Church. The couple recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Dave went to work for the BNSF railroad and retired after 30 years as a Maintenance Foreman and track inspector. He soon found himself in a second career at the Granite Falls Advocate Tribune as a publisher & columnist.
Dave was appointed to fill a vacant City Council seat on July 16, 1979, and assumed the position of Mayor following the death of Mayor Roy Lenzen on February 5, 1996. He served as Mayor of Granite Falls for 27 years and as a Council Member for 16 years previously. In 2016, he received a Bush Fellowship and went on to graduate from the Metropolitan State University with a BA in Civic Engagement. Dave’s time was also spent as a board member of many local and statewide organizations, frequently advocating for Granite Falls in his time associated with the League of Minnesota Cities and the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities among many, many others. Dave especially took an interest in his role as board member of Project Turnabout and Friends of Upper Sioux Agency State Park. In his spare time, he enjoyed gardening, biking, hiking, traveling, and was a music enthusiast and drummer for the Good Time Railroad band. He was an avid Twins fan and had a love for maps and astronomy.
He cherished his time spent with family and especially his grandchildren. He had recently been honored to throw out the first pitch for the Junior Legion State Baseball Tournament in Granite Falls, and the receiver of his pitch was his grandson Kian. Indeed, Dave rarely missed events for his grandchildren, whether it be a basketball game, band concert, volleyball or tennis match, dance or piano recital, baseball game, or bowling.
Known widely as “Mr. Granite Falls,” Dave was an avid enthusiast of all things related to Granite Falls and was particularly interested in the history of the area & was gifted in his retelling of the many fascinating stories the town has collected over its timeline. Dave had a thirst for knowledge and was passionate in his enthusiasm for both learning & teaching alike. In politics, Dave was keen to understand others’ perspectives and collaborated across the aisle as he sought to bridge political divisiveness in the name of the common good for his community. Dave also possessed a sharp memory, and a mind set on retaining as much information as possible. In his own words, he liked to read “information mostly,” and was generous in his time discussing the finer points of nearly any topic. His intellect and curiosity truly knew no bounds.
Dave passed away in Washington, DC on September 22, 2023. He was 70 years of age.
He was preceded in death by his parents Clarence & Dorothy Smiglewski and his in-laws Marvin & Beverly Nordang.
He is survived by his wife Cindy; three children: Laurel (Chad) Christianson of Granite Falls; Cody (Katie Grundl) of Minneapolis and Seth (Lauryn Buda) of St. Paul; his grandchildren Kian, Evan, and Cora Christianson; sister Sandra (Tom) Clawson of Albert Lea and many extended family and close friends.
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