David Robert Jaye

David Robert Jaye III, 69, of Burnsville, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family on April 3, 2025.
He was born in Columbus, Ohio on June 22, 1955 to David Robert Jaye Jr. and MaryAnn (Scanlan) Jaye, and was the oldest of three children. After a brief stay in Columbus, the Jayes moved to Allentown, Pennsylvania, then to Joliet, Illinois, and later to Marshfield, Wisconsin, where Dave attended Columbus High School. From a young age, Dave was involved in Boy Scouts and developed a love of hiking, camping, and the outdoors. Ultimately, he earned the honor of Eagle Scout. Dave was also active in sports, playing football for Columbus and as well as pole vaulting on their track team. An avid reader and writer, he was also the editor of his high school newspaper. He graduated from Columbus in 1973 and from the University of St. Thomas in 1977 with a degree in accounting. Some of his favorite memories were of his years at St. Thomas and the friendships he formed there. His first "real" job was at Miller and Schroeder Financial, Inc. Later he moved on to the St. Paul Port Authority and finally to Springsted, Inc. until he retired in 2018.
In 1981, Dave married Pam Youmans at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Bloomington, Minnesota. They bought a townhome in Lakeville, where they added two children (Molly and Josh) to their family. In 1989, they moved to Burnsville where he lived the rest of this life.
Inspired by his mom, Dave developed a passion for food and cooking. He loved to experiment and create "Daddy Surprise" meals for his kids. Most (but not all) were delicious, and Molly and Josh loved them. In 2005, Dave and Pam took a trip to Italy to attend a one-week cooking class in Tuscany. Later they also attended cooking classes in the Twin Cities and in Iceland. Dave delighted in sharing his cooking passion with family and friends by hosting, together with Pam, many dinner parties. They combined this love of food with a joint love of travel, exploring and sampling the local cuisine. Some of his favorite destinations included Italy, Greece, France, Iceland, and Romania.
Beyond cooking, Dave enjoyed years of playing softball with his wife and many close friends. He was also skilled at darts and played in various dart leagues for over two decades. At home, Dave enjoyed gardening, reading, watching cooking shows, listening to music and dancing with Pam.
Above all, Dave's greatest achievement – his greatest joy – was his family, and he relished and excelled at each of his many family roles. He was a loving and supportive son, brother, husband, father, grandpa (Papa), uncle, and godfather. As a father, Dave supported both Molly and Josh in their sports activities and musical interests; he encouraged them to pursue the life paths that made them happy and could not have been more proud of the lives they've created. After the death of his dad, he lovingly took care of his mom until she left this world.
More recently, Dave enjoyed time up north at the cabin, attending his grandkids' activities, and spending holidays together as a family, where he could always be relied upon to prepare a delicious meal.
Dave was humble, patient, thoughtful and kind. He was a good listener and a great storyteller. He loved to tell a good "dad joke," and his friends and family appreciated his great laugh and dry sense of humor. Dave was a feminist and an advocate for equal rights, and he instilled the same sense of fairness and kindness in his children.
He is survived by Pam (Youmans), his loving wife of nearly 44 years, daughter, Molly Jaye Barber (Justin), son, Josh (Keri), grandchildren, Louis and Maisie Barber, his sister, Kathleen Palmer (Mark) and brother, Jeff, aunt and uncle, Patsy and Joe Albergo, brother-in-law, Greg Youmans, and sister-in-law, Karen Youmans, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
The funeral service will be 11 a.m. Friday, April 25 at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 8600 Fremont Ave. S., Bloomington. Visitation is one hour prior to the funeral service, as well as 4-7 p.m. Thursday, April 24 at White Funeral Home, 14560 Pennock Ave., Apple Valley. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to Minnesota Public Radio, the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, Minnesota Zoo, or the ACLU.