David Kleinke

David Michael Kleinke, age 79, of Wadena, Minnesota, passed away on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, at Saint Cloud Hospital in Saint Cloud, Minnesota.

David Michael Kleinke was born on August 29, 1946, in Wadena, Minnesota, to Godfrey and Vera (Neels) Kleinke. He attended and graduated from Wadena High School as part of the class of 1964. Right out of high school David enlisted in the United States Navy, where he proudly served in the Vietnam War and was stationed in many locations around the world.

Returning to the States, David found work in Massachusetts for a few years before coming home to Wadena. David attended Wadena and Staples Technical Colleges studying accounting and machinist. While attending college in Wadena he met the love of his life Linda Lubitz. The couple were married on June 16,1973, at St. John’s Lutheran Church Corliss and were blessed with four children: Michael, Amy, Kimberly, and Jonathan.

David was a man of many skills and worked in many different jobs including being a gas station owner, truck driver for 20 years, and then he owned a mobile home park for 20 years until his retirement in 2016. He was lifetime member at the Wadena VFW Elmer Goche Post #3922.

David enjoyed hunting, ice fishing, camping, four wheeling, motorcycling, watching enduro races and tractor pulls. He was a man who always found something to tinker with and enjoyed figuring out how something worked. This meant he didn’t sit for very long and was a collector of tools, but he was always willing to work on a project.

David made every effort to attend important events and sporting activities as their number one fan for his children and grandchildren as his health would allow in his later years. Being able to attend these events put the biggest smile on his face. David had a way of assigning a nickname to many people over the years and once he gave you a nickname, it stuck for life. 

David is preceded in death by his parents, numerous aunts, uncles, and other relatives.

Deeply loved, David’s passing will be mourned by his wife of 52 years Linda; children: Michael (Rhonda) Kleinke, Amy Kleinke, Kimberly (Peter) Erickson, and Jonathan (Elizabeth) Kleinke; 11 grandchildren: Brittani (Tyler) Schwartz, Brayden (Mya) Kleinke, Bryanna Kleinke, Caleb Kleinke, Erin, Ethan, and Evan Erickson, Ciana Murphy, Ryleigh, Max, and Toby Kleinke; one great-grandson Bentley Schwartz; and many other relatives and a host of friends.

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