David W. Hoeppner

1935 - 2022

On February 18, 2022, David W. Hoeppner died in Salt Lake City at the age of 86.

David is survived by his wife of almost 63 years, Sue M. Hoeppner, his children, Laura Hoeppner (Silverthorne, CO), Lynne Marquis (Issaquah, WA), Amy Taylor (Salt Lake City, UT), and seven grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Lillian Hoeppner, and six siblings.

David was born in Waukesha, WI. He earned a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Marquette University in 1958, and a Master of Science in Metallurgical Engineering in 1960 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1963 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

After graduating, David worked in the aeronautical and aerospace industries at Battelle Memorial Institute and at Lockheed. He then built a career in his life's passion as an engineering educator, serving as a professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia (1974-78), as the Endowed Cockburn Professor of Engineering Design and Director - Structural Integrity, Fatigue, and Fracture Research Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Toronto, (1978-1985), and as the Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering (1985-1992) and a professor (1985-2012) at the University of Utah. He founded FASIDE (Fatigue and Structural Integrity Design Engineering), the HOLSIP (Holistic Structural Integrity Process) Conference, and the Quality and Integrity Design Engineering Center at the University of Utah. He supervised hundreds of undergraduate, 130 Masters, and 48 PhD students.

David taught an adult education class, The Life and Times of Jesus, at Christ United Methodist Church for 35 years.

Dr. Hoeppner received dozens of awards and honors. He was the recipient of the 2005 Utah Governor's Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Science and Technology and was inducted to the Waukesha High School Wall of Fame, WI, on Sept. 29, 2006.

David loved to ride his bike, hike, ski, swim, garden, visit national parks, and watch the hummingbirds. In memory of David: Carpe Diem (Seize the Day) and have a PMA (Positive Mental Attitude).

A typical exchange with David:

"I always told students, post-docs and colleagues, try to get one golden nugget of knowledge per day. If you do, you will end up very rich spiritually and intellectually and in other ways. Keep your eyes/focus on the prize. Where is the golden nugget in this lecture?

Carpe diem. Peace and love to all. David"

Vaccinated family, friends, former students and colleagues are invited to a memorial service for David W. Hoeppner, scheduled for Friday, March 25, 2022, at Christ United Methodist Church in Salt Lake City at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The David W. and Sue M. Hoeppner Scholarship Fund at the University of Utah Department of Mechanical Engineering, supporting women and under-represented students pursuing a mechanical engineering degree. Memorial donations can be made at www.coe.utah.edu/hoeppner, by calling 801-581-6825, or by mailing a check to the University of Utah, P.O. Box 58006, Salt Lake City, UT 84158-0006.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by The Salt Lake Tribune from Feb. 23 to Feb. 27, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for David Hoeppner

Sponsored by Larkin Mortuary - Salt Lake City.

8 Entries

Li Ma

February 21, 2023

I couldn't believe that Dr. Hoeppner had left us for a year now. He was such an amazing person. When I was his student at the University of Utah, I learned a lot from him both technically and professionally. His knowledge and support encourage me to get an advanced degree and worked in the aviation field. I will miss him for rest of my life.
Many blessings to you all!

Don Bloswick

March 15, 2022

Please note that I misspelled "morale" as "moral" in any comment yesterday (14 March). I'd like to clarify that the M.E. Department morale was low before Dave arrived - I can't remember anything about M.E. Department morals at the time.

Don Bloswick

March 14, 2022

Dave hired me as a faculty member in the M.E. Department in 1986. That was a time with budget cuts and program eliminations at UU, so faculty moral was not great. My first experience was the M.E. faculty retreat that Fall. Dave walked into the room, placed a tape player on the front table, and turned it on.....we heard the song "Don't Worry Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin. I can't honestly say that we all immediately became happy, but it did take the edge off. That was my first experience with, and my best memory of, Dave's positive mental attitude. He set the positive tone for the department then and it continued. I can't remember him ever being sour or dejected. I'm a better person for knowing him.

Dave Pershing

March 14, 2022

I had the privilege of working with David while he was leading the Department of Mechanical Engineering and then later as one of the distinguished professors in the College of Engineering. He was responsible for key faculty hires and significant progress in the department and college including the supervision of an amazing number of graduate students. We have missed him since his retirement.

Pat Dwyer

February 25, 2022

My sincere condolences to all the Hoeppner family. Your dad whom I met in 1990 while attending a short course at the UCLA, inspired me to pursue an aeronautical engineering career in the USCG which I did and have continued working in this field supporting the CG since 1991. It was always a pleasure at HOLSIP to talk and share experiences with him. A true gentleman and the HOLSIP team will greatly miss him but the impact he has made in his life encouraging others to know Christ will truly be his eternal legacy. Many blessings to you all.

Most Sincerely,

Pat Dwyer, CDR, USCG, Retired

Eric Tuegel

February 24, 2022

Sorry for your loss. I always enjoyed talking with Dave. He kept me thinking. He will be missed.

Laura Hoeppner

February 23, 2022

Please note that the memorial service is on Friday, March 25, at 11:00 a.m. at Christ United Methodist Church in Salt Lake City. Apologies for any confusion.

Antonio Rufin

February 23, 2022

I had the privilege of briefly working with David during my (now past) career at Boeing. I always appreciated David's depth of knowledge, his passion, and his wry sense of humor. I deeply share in your loss.

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