On January 3, 2023, David Cleary Feiereisen, age 84, died away calmly at home with his daughter at his side. His passing was said to have occurred in a peaceful manner. He was preceded in death by his loving wife, Dee, and six siblings – Kathleen Stahl, Joyce Brayton, Jack Feiereisen, Marilyn Schmitz, Michael Feiereisen, and Gary Feiereisen (who passed away as an infant). On Monday, January 9th, visitation for Dave will be held at Holy Family Catholic Parish, which is located at 271 4th Street Way in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, from 4:30 until 6:00 p.m. The funeral mass for Dave will begin at 6:00 p.m., and it will be followed by military honors at the conclusion of the service.
Dave, a fantastic individual who is humble, hard-working, and compassionate, was born on November 30th, 1938 in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Dave met the woman who would become the love of his life and his very best friend, Dee Koeser of Oshkosh (whom the grandchildren fondly referred to as “Gertie”), on a night out with his pals. Dave was an introvert, and Dee’s gregarious temperament provided the ideal counterbalance to his reserved personality; after all, it was she who started the discussion! Later on, they decided to run away and get married in secret on June 16th, 1962, at the first courthouse they came across while traveling “Up North.” They decided to make Fond du Lac their permanent residence.
Dave was employed at Mercury Marine, and Dee was responsible for raising the couple’s three children while the two of them jointly managed the Town of Fond du Lac Sanitary District. They had a wonderful weekend together sailing on Lake Winnebago and camping in the woods near Dunbar, Wisconsin. He was one of a total of 12 children born to Michael and Eleanor Feiereisen. They spent their childhood on Lincoln Avenue and made the very long trek to St. Patrick’s School on foot. Although it was a challenging journey, they traveled in groups to ensure their safety. After completing his high school education at Fond du Lac High School, he enlisted in the United States Air Force in the month of March 1957.
In December of 1961, he was given an honorable release from the military after serving as an aircraft refueling expert all around the world. After that, he returned to his home state of Wisconsin. He took his family on all kind of exciting journeys and excursions. Their ideal getaway was a patch of land near Dunbar known affectionately as “Happy Camp,” which connected them to large tracts of public hunting territory and miles of ATV routes in the north woods. On the weekends, the whole family would go grouse hunting, riding horses, and going on adventures. They were interested in traveling across the nation on everything that could be powered by an engine, including mopeds, snowmobiles, RVs, boats, and especially ATVs.
These devices would transport them to locations where Dee could take in all of the splendor that God has created, and Dave, with his sharp eyes, could detect animals as they traveled down the path. Dave lived his life much as he rode his ATV; he was always up for an adventure, but he never went too fast, traveled too far, or got into situations that were too muddy. He mixed his enthusiasm for exciting new experiences with a healthy dose of common sense by discussing potential risks and obstacles, such as bad weather, muddy terrain, traffic, and potential for physical harm. He had a knack for incredibly well-timed sarcasm, was meticulous in the care he took of his possessions, and would never say no to an invitation to attend a game, practice, performance, event, or meal with the grandkids.
He wanted to go out and see nature with the people he loved. He was meticulous in the care he took of his belongings. After making a witty remark about how busy they were and pausing with a grin to take in their audience’s reaction, they eventually agreed to participate in the activity. He is survived by his three children, who are as follows: Samantha Twohig and her husband Christopher of Fond du Lac, David “Chip” Feiereisen Jr. and his wife Jodi of North Fond du Lac, and Louis “Packy” Feiereisen of Wausau are the newest members of the Feiereisen family. Six Grandchildren: Savannah (Travis) Thomas, Brittany Feiereisen, Michael Feiereisen, Cleary Twohig, George Twohig, and Layne Twohig. Five Siblings: Jim (Diane) Feiereisen, Sheila (Ron) Cwikla, Pat (Sue) Feiereisen, Mary (Tom) Swingen, and Gail (Gordon) Fuller.