David Droege

Anchorage resident David A. Droege, 82, died Aug. 27, 2008, at home in Anchorage.
A prayer service will be at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Monastery of Perpetual Adoration off 72nd Avenue and Lake Otis Parkway. The funeral Mass will be at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Holy Cross Parish Church at Lake Otis Parkway and Lore Road, followed by a reception from 1 to 3 p.m. at Holy Cross Parish Church.
Dave was born Aug. 18, 1926, in St. Louis, Mo., the son of Walter and Lillian Droege. Raised in St. Louis, he served in the Navy from 1944 until 1946 and was in the Naval Reserve until 1954. He met Rita Ann Cullen in 1945 and they were married in Wiota, Iowa, in the summer of 1950.
Shortly afterward they moved to Alaska, where Dave first worked for the U.S. Postal Service, then sold radio advertisements for KENI. He later became a homebuilder. He retired with the USPS in the late 1990s.
Dave was an avid hunter and fisherman, a carpenter and builder, a gardener and a friend to all. In his later years he devoted his time to the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration as a gardener and handyman and he supported them in all their needs.
His generosity with everyone knew no limits, and he was known for his sense of humor, his kindness and simplicity.
Dave and his wife, Rita, raised 10 children and are blessed with 26 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
His wife, Rita, his brother Robert, and his children Patrick, Robert, Colleen, Mary, Kathleen, Bernard, Michael, and Daniel survive him.
Dave was preceded in death by his father and mother, Walter and Lillian Droege; his brothers Walter and Joe; his son Philip and his daughter Maureen; and his granddaughter Julianna and great-granddaughter Carissa
Memorial donations may be made to the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, 2645 E. 72nd Ave., Anchorage 99507; or to the Legionaires of Christ, c/o Father Anthony Bannon, L.C. 475 Oak Ave., Cheshire, CT 06410.