David Allen Lenart

David Allen Lenart Sr., also known by his family as Dave, Dave Sr., Sr., Dad, Pops, Grandpa, and Opa, passed away on February 27, 2026 surrounded by loved ones in his home in Clayton, North Carolina. He was 72 years young. Dave was born on August 17, 1953 in Chicago, Illinois to Dorothy and Theodore Lenart. He is survived by his loving wife of 42 years, Paula Marie Lenart (Janson), his two children, David Allen Lenart Jr. (Danielle), and Jennifer Rose O'Quinn (Riley), and his four grandchildren (Nicholas, Titan, Alaina, and Saxon).
Dave had several notable traits and passions. First and foremost, Dave was a die-hard Chicago sports fan of the White Sox, Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks, but his favorite team by far was the White Sox. He never missed a game update, even after he moved down to North Carolina in 2022. He was always eager to share the latest White Sox update with his son, David, no matter the time of day, and no matter how good or bad they were playing. On the topic of sports, Dave also had a love for bowling. He served as the Director of the Chicago Metropolitan Bowling Association, played on numerous leagues, and made sure that his children were brought up in the bowling alley.
Equally up there in favorites is Dave's love for Christmas. If Christmas could happen every day of the year, Dave would have been the happiest man alive. His love for the holiday was so genuine that you could count on him to announce the countdown to Christmas, even after the very next day of Christmas. Dave easily had two dozen 5-gallon bins filled with Christmas decorations and supplies, but who is counting? There truly was no shortage of the holiday spirit within him. It is important to mention that there was one place that contributed to a lot of Dave's Christmas supplies, and that was his favorite place to shop and work, Lowes Home Improvement. Dave loved his Lowes family. When Dave was not at home with his family, he was at Lowes with his work family. There was always a reason to go to Lowes, even on his days off.
Dave was also the chef in the family. He worked as a professional chef for most of his life and he absolutely loved cooking. Every meal he cooked was with purpose, passion, and love. He was always cooking for an army, even when it was just for him and his wife. He filled up pans upon pans of food for all the parties, events, and gatherings that he hosted for his family and friends. Cooking food was, without a doubt, his love language. But when Dave was not cooking for himself, his three favorite meals included a Chicago-style hot dog, a Combo, dipped with peppers from Portillos, or a King-Size breaded steak sandwich from Ricobenes.
By far one of the most memorable traits of Dave was that he was extraordinarily generous. He would be the first person to offer his seat, ask if you wanted more food (there was always room for seconds!), buy his grandchildren every toy that they asked for while shopping at the store, and would never accept your money even after doing you a favor. Dave was always putting others before himself, which even in his last moments of his life, he hardly asked for anything at all.
Visitation and a service will be held at Colonial-Wojciechowski Funeral Home (8025 W Golf Rd, Niles, IL 60714) on Monday, March 9, 2026 between 10AM and 12:30PM. All are welcomed to visit with Dave and attend the 12:30 service, which will be followed by a gravesite burial at St. Adalbert Catholic Cemetery & Mausoleums. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to research for a cure for Angiosarcoma.