David Nicholas Bartels

1940 - 2022

David Nicholas Bartels passed away July 15 shortly after returning from a seven-week RV trip following the Lewis and Clark Trail from St. Louis Missouri to Astoria, Oregon.
He was born in Oakland in 1940, graduated from Pleasant Hill High in 1958, then U.C. Berkeley in 1963 and received his Masters in Education in 1978.
Fresh out of college, he taught at Sonora High for 14 years before pursuing his real passion as a home construction contractor. He built some beautiful homes in Tuolumne and Amador counties. He later became a home inspector.
Dave loved hiking and backpacking in the High Sierra in his younger days, later switching to llama packing when his sons were young, and then finally to horse packing due to chronically sore feet. On weekends during the school year, you would find his family camping during the spring and fall, and snow skiing in the winter.
Dave and his wife, Suzanne, RV'd to Alaska twice and once to Mexico. They took cruises with friends to Alaska, Hawaii, around South America, across the Pacific to New Zealand, and Australia, the Mediterranean and Caribbean, and through the Panama Canal. During one of two hiking trips to Switzerland, they hiked around Mount Blanc.
Dave served on the Curtis Creek School board for 13 years, the Sierra Repertory Theatre board, and was currently on the Blue Bell Valley Water board,
He is survived by his wife of 42 years; his sons, Mark and Greg (wife Olivia); grandchildren David-Jay, Kylie and Chet, all local; his sister, Bonnie (husband Herbert), lives in Amador County, and his brother-in-law, Ron, lives in Watsonville; a niece and nephews live in various places around the US. Dave was preceded in death by his sister, Nancy, in 2014, and his parents.
A celebration of life will be held at a later time. In honor of Dave's life, we think he would want you to take a hike in the mountains, if you are able, a walk around Pinecrest Lake, or even a stroll around your neighborhood.