David Russell Thune

1954 - 2025

David Russell Thune

November 2, 1954 - October 19, 2025

David Russell Thune, the son of Russell and Jane (Levorson) Thune was born on November 2, 1954, in Thief River Falls, MN. He passed away the morning of October 19, 2025, in the loving warmth of his home with Beth, Erica, and Joel at his bedside.

David was welcomed to the world by three adoring older sisters and later became the eldest of three younger brothers. The Thune family of nine moved to Bismarck, ND in 1959 when Russell began working for Brady Construction. David told many stories about winter holiday road trips to Thief River Falls in a big station wagon where David and other siblings were positioned in the far back seat looking backwards with a space heater keeping them warm. Russell's work in the construction field had a great impact on David and honed his carpentry and do-it-yourself skills. David loved working in his shop, often accompanied by his children, brothers, friends, and always good music.

David grew up in Bismarck, ND, attending Pioneer Elementary School, Simle Junior High, and Bismarck High School, graduating in 1973. His first job was at "Little Dan's" where he made several lifelong friends. He spent many years working at Cashman Nursery & Landscaping as the general manager (or VP as Dan Cashman would say); managed the Front Page Tavern; and worked for Continental Airlines in Denver, CO and Bismarck, ND, again establishing many lifelong friends along the way. In 1989, David went to Medcenter One seeking a job with good benefits, perhaps in maintenance. There were no positions available at the time, but an alternative suggestion by someone in HR would go on to make a huge difference in the trajectory of David's life. David was told that there was a Radiologic Technology program at Medcenter One and was encouraged to apply. He was hesitant as David did not love school in his younger years. He applied and was accepted into the program, studying harder than he ever had in his life, and graduated from the Medcenter One Radiologic Technology Program in 1991. He worked in general radiology from 1991-1995 and then went on to be a certified CT Technologist. In 2001, David went to work for The Bone & Joint Center and then transferred to Bismarck Surgical Associates, remaining there as the radiology supervisor and the safety and building maintenance coordinator until his retirement in 2020. David transitioned easily and loved and appreciated everything about retirement.

David met Beth Lewellyn at Medcenter One in 1990. Beth was a speech pathologist whose role included doing swallowing studies in the radiology department. David was a radiologic technology student when they met and really did not have time to think about dating as he was focused on getting through school. On February 28, 1991, David and Beth had their first date, going to the movie, Dances with Wolves. They joked that going to a 3-hour movie for a first date was a good sign for longevity of a relationship. They became engaged exactly one year later and were married on September 11, 1992, in St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. David and Beth did not have family and friends at their wedding but chose to have a reception and dance a couple of weeks later in Mandan, ND. The local band, Me and the Boys, played and great fun was had by all. It was a celebration with many friends and relatives from near and far that made for a terrific and memorable beginning to David and Beth's blessed 33-year marriage.

David became a father in February 1995, when Erica Gayle was born. His kind and gentle manner was a perfect fit for fatherhood. The family was complete when Joel David was born in March 1997. Throughout the years, David was fully engaged with anything the kids were doing, never hesitating to jump into the water with them, play Barbies, play catch, or create a school project with them in his shop. The purchase of a pontoon in 2001 that coincided with David switching jobs and not working weekends or being on-call was the start of 25 years of Missouri River fun.

David had many adventures in life with various groups of friends. He was a true, trusted, and loyal friend to many. As a bachelor, he spent several winters looking after the Reid ranch north of Bismarck. Those who knew him then will remember many themed parties that perhaps lasted multiple days. David took a once-in-a lifetime motorcycle trip to the West Coast with Larry Stute in 1979. He treasured that trip and reflected on it many times through the years. From 2010-2020, David and family managed and worked at Memory Fireworks in Beth's hometown of Valley City. Again, David easily made friends and was sought out by everyone who walked into the store as he was the guy handing out freeze pops (called "Mr. Freeze" by David) on hot days. Another great adventure that David had was in 2011. David was incredibly honored to go on the Roughrider Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. with his dad. He felt that it was a great privilege to see the World War II Memorial, hear stories, and spend precious time with his dad and other veterans.

avid is survived by his wife, Beth; daughter, Erica (Cole Parisien); son, Joel (Macey Hertz); sisters, Lynette Pitzer, Darlene (Tim) Shea, Patricia (Dennis) Bosch; brothers, Peter, Bruce (Nancy Schmidt), and Kevin (Betty) Thune; mother in-law and her husband, Gayle and Michael Hoff; brothers-in-law, Dean (Christiane) Lewellyn and David Lewellyn (Candice Currier); and many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, cousins and cherished friends.

David was preceded in death by his parents, Russell and Jane Thune; father-in-law, Dennis Lewellyn; brother-in-law, Marty Pitzer; and four-legged pals, Ole, Ada, and Mack.

Special thanks to Sanford Hospice and Sanford Oncology and Infusion Center for the incredible care provided to David over the past year.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to an animal shelter of your choice or the Western North Dakota Honor Flight.

We all love you and will miss you every minute of every day, David. See you again in Heaven.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, October 25, at the Trinity Lutheran Church, 502 N 4th St, Bismarck. The family will start greeting guests one hour prior to the service.

To view service livestream please visit this link https://www.youtube.com/@TrinityLutheranBismarck/streams.

To sign the online guestbook, share memories, and view the service livestream visit www.eastgatefuneral.com