David Charles Wendel

David died peacefully the evening of April 20, 2023, at his daughter's home in Escondido, California, with doors open to the gentle sounds of night, surrounded by his loving family.

David was born July 20, 1937, in Cresco, Iowa to Gertrude and John Wendel. The youngest of five children, he was predeceased by his beloved siblings Lorayne, Elmarie, and Alan with whom there was always much laughter and joy. He is survived by his two daughters, Ursula and Ashley Wendel, Ursula's partner Kristofer Solberg and son Esa and Ashley's husband Tony Aloy, and their children Finian and Cesca. He is also survived by his sister Arletta O'Hearn and many nieces and nephews of the Wendel, O'Hearn, and Chapman families.

Raised in Eugene, Oregon, David studied music briefly at the University of Oregon, worked various odd jobs in lumber yards, and laid track for the railroads before joining the US Army in 1960 where he served two years at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. After completing his military service, David moved to San Francisco where he played tenor sax in jazz clubs including the Cellar nightclub with famed saxophonist Brew Moore, before heading to New York City in 1964 to pursue music and acting. Living in NYC in the 1960s was exciting stuff and seeing renowned saxophonist Lester Young perform at the Blue Angel was a highlight, as was attaining the praise of famed acting coach, Uta Hagen for his work.

In 1965, David moved back to the West Coast, living in Santa Monica, California with his wife Donna and their two daughters where he pursued the life of an actor. Having some early success, David had the good fortune to act in several motion pictures, including "Ice Station Zebra" with Rock Hudson and "RPM" with director Stanley Kramer. He also guest-starred in various television series, including "Daniel Boone" and later, "Charlie's Angels."

In 1970, David and his wife Donna made the move to Canada, where they raised their girls, along with flocks of chickens and goats on their small farm in rural British Columbia. A lovely area surrounded by lakes and orchards, summers were spent swimming or taking road trips to family in Oregon. When not shoveling snow, winters were spent tobogganing or skating on frozen lakes with his girls. During this time, David worked as a much-loved third-grade teacher for 13 years. He also engaged in many community theatre productions, taking lead roles in plays such as "A Man for All Seasons," "Sleuth," and "I Never Sang for My Father." Music was a constant in David's life, performing tenor sax and clarinet in a Dixieland jazz band and later, flamenco guitar. In the 1980s, David briefly took up acting professionally again, working in Los Angeles in TV and film, before finally settling again in Oregon. There, he completed his professional life as a medical transcriptionist, a job that he was particularly proud of doing in the service of others.

David was an avid motorcyclist, taking many trips up and down the rugged Oregon coast in his 20 years of riding, spending solo time in the spectacularly beautiful coastal areas and Oregon countryside he loved so much. Visiting with his friends in Eugene and surrounding areas was one of the great pleasures of his later years and he would often recount with his family stories of his friendships and conversations. David was an avid reader and scholar of Roman, Egyptian, and WWII history and a trip to Rome with his daughters in commemoration of his 80th birthday was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. "The best week of my life" he would say.

David was a wonderful grandfather who loved his grandkids dearly and left an indelible imprint of the best parts of himself on them. A tremendously kind and generous man, David's inquisitive mind, unique sensibility, humor, love of animals, conversation, and good company will be sorely missed by many. His strong and abiding unconditional love for his daughters most of all.

A funeral mass will be held in David's memory at St. Mary Catholic Church in Eugene, Oregon on Friday, June 23rd at 12:15 pm. Our family would like to thank all the wonderful physicians, nurses, and the entire care team at Palomar Medical Center in Poway for their exemplary and compassionate care - particularly Dr. Sam Filiciotto and Dr. Anas Kayal, who went above and beyond in support of our family. We would also like to thank our many friends and family for their heartfelt love and support.