David A. Tjornhom, Jr., 76, of Minnetonka, MN passed away peacefully on Saturday, March 20, 2021, the first day of spring marking the beginning of his new life in heaven. 

Our Dad was known as Dave to most of you and Davie by a very select few who he loved dearly – you know who you are. To know him was to know love – he loved people and derived real joy from these interactions which was evident in his quick smile, the twinkle in his eyes when he talked to just about anyone, and his ready laugh. He would talk to everyone, even kids, with genuine curiosity and openness. He was profoundly empathetic and would readily tear up hearing a touching story or talking to someone about their hardships. He was a hugger from the beginning and gave hugs generously….he even taught a few stoic souls along the way how it was done. Dad would tell you this deep love and warmth came from his heavenly father; his faith was his rock and solace through a life that was at turns wonderful and heartbreaking. 

Dave was born in St. Paul, MN as the first child to Jean Tjornhom Rud, who adored him from the moment he was born until her death at 93 in 2018, and Dave Tjornhom, Sr., who was away serving his country in WWII when Dave was born but was a major part of his life until Dave Sr. left us too early at 67. He was a joy to his grandparents, a great brother to his siblings, and a precocious kid who knew the make and model of every car and could engineer an early warning system with a wire and bell so his parents wouldn’t catch him reading well after bedtime.

Dave graduated from Minnetonka High School, took classes at the University of Minnesota, and was trained as an engineer by the Minnesota Highway Department, where he helped build a few of the highway bridges still in use in Minneapolis today. He had a pilot’s license and was known for a few antics like landing a small plane at Chicago O’Hare to the extreme consternation of the Air Traffic Controller on duty. He joined the Navy during the Vietnam War and was very blessed to serve most of his time in the Twin Cities servicing planes. This fact, and his uncanny ability to get a front parking space in crowded parking lots, likely accounted for his being called “Lucky Dave” by many. As a lighting sales and designer, Dave was the consummate salesman and the first to shake people’s hands and introduce himself. He was also an active Rotary Club member. 

In his later years, Dave’s time in the military took on more and more meaning – he was proud of his country and looked back at that time as one of the most impactful in his life. It wasn’t surprising that the 4th of July was his favorite holiday and that he loved visiting his daughter and her family in Boston to experience Patriot’s Day, a holiday only in Massachusetts to commemorate the first shot of the Revolutionary War. It also manifested in his favorite movies including Top Gun, Pearl Harbor, and others in the same vein which he would watch at an eardrum-shattering volume so he could “feel” the planes take off.

Dave had a few major passions in his life and top of the list were his faith, family, technology and design, and music. He had the first CD player of anyone we knew, ordered an Audi 5000 directly from Germany that we had to pick up at the port in NY, and constantly needed to upgrade his TV and stereo equipment to make sure he had the top-end home theater experience. He brought his passion for technology and design to the lighting design profession he was in most of his life, as well as in designing home improvements, landscapes, and many other projects. He loved music — it literally transported him and could completely change his mood. This something he shares with his kids and grandkids and also with many of the important people throughout his life.

Dave had a wide definition of who was in his family and he loved you all. He was greatly blessed later in life to meet his second wife, Rose, who he loved dearly. Rose was his companion every step of the way, showering him with love and attention when it became more and more difficult for the rest of us. Rose’s sister Joanne also offered amazing support to Dave and Rose, and was a very good friend to Dave in his later years. We know he profoundly loved us, his children, who all had nicknames only he used, and that he was proud of us. Even during the most difficult times as we were growing up, and during our parent’s divorce when we just couldn’t agree or find common ground, we never questioned his unconditional love. We have missed him for years now due to Alzheimers, but there are many wonderful moments we remember most: opening night at every Star Wars and Star Trek movie, pot roast dinners and his special salads, secret salsa recipe, drives in the VW convertible for hours just to talk, road trips that were always an adventure, his ability to see beauty with an artist’s eye, the amazing costumes he created for the 4th of July parade when we were kids, his love of Lake Minnetonka and being on the water, his wanderlust that never was fully satisfied, and many moments of laughter. 

This is an obituary we could have written many times over the last few years as Dave slowly succumbed to his illness. There were several times we thought he would leave us. We saw these moments as mixed blessings as he continued to bring joy into the lives of others and benefited from the love of the many people around him. Our deepest gratitude to all those people at Castle Ridge in Eden Prairie, MN and the VA Hospital in St. Cloud, MN. Dave is survived by his loving wife of almost nine years, Rose Tjornhom; his children and their spouses: Jessica (Tim), Tad (Amy), and Ian (Robyn); his grandchildren that he loved dearly and called the “A Team”: Anika, Arthur, Ava and Ana; his siblings: Carol (Roger), Laurie (John), and Keith (Bette), along with their wonderful families who were a huge support during his life and a source of countless moments of love and laughter; his uncle Jimmy (Joy), and a wide and wonderful extended family — friends who basically were family — and friends who gave him great joy. A celebration of Dave’s life will be planned this summer, when he will also be laid to rest at Fort Snelling National Cemetery.

Published on April 11, 2021