Dave Warner passed away suddenly on May 19, 2021 at the age of 46. He was a loving husband and father. Dave will be missed by all who love him.
A public visitation celebrating Dave’s life will be held on Tuesday, May 25, 2021 from 4:00 – 7:00 PM at Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church (3611 North Berens Road NW) in Prior Lake. A private family service will also be held in Dave’s honor. Per CDC and MDH guidelines, masks are required for anyone who isn’t fully vaccinated, and social distancing must be maintained between households.
On January 8, 1975, David Franklin Warner was born to parents, David & Gloria (Hurt) Warner. Dave was the oldest of two boys. He loved growing up in Prior Lake with his brother Joe. In school, Dave played the trombone in band. He was also a talented athlete and excelled at tennis. When he wasn’t participating in his extracurricular activities, he enjoyed cruising around with friends and spending summers on the lake at the family cabin in Annandale.
After graduating from Prior Lake High School in 1993, Dave attended UW-River Falls. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology. Dave also continued his tennis career in college. He made many lifelong friends through school.
While Dave was pursuing his Master’s Degree in School Counseling, his mother set him up with one of her coworkers in the Prior Lake School District, a lovely young woman named Karoline Reich. Dave and Karoline eventually met. Even though she never called him back, Dave persisted, and the rest was history. Karoline fell in love with his kind and generous heart. Dave and Karoline were married October 14, 2000.
They settled in Shakopee and were blessed with two wonderful daughters, Maiya and Esme. Dave LOVED being a Girl Dad . He was always the fun parent and never wanted to miss a moment with his girls. He loved going on special Daddy-Daughter Dates and always had fun adventures planned for he and his girls. Dave passed on his love of cheesy 80’s movies (Back to the Future, etc.), and they watched America’s Got Talent together every week. They enjoyed reading together, practicing magic tricks and just spending time together.
Dave was as wonderful provider for his family. He worked hard to provide a good life for his girls. Dave brought his amazing parenting skills with him to work every day, where he was an extra dad to a lot of his students. All of the kids loved Mr. Warner, because he was truly a kid at heart. His office was filled with games and toys, including a Star Wars collection. Dave had a standing rule that if a student ever gave him a drawing, that student got a drawing back from him. He was so proud to be a school counselor, and he was really good at his job.
Following in his mother’s footsteps, Dave was very active in state and national professional organizations. He was always there to lend a helping hand or volunteer his time and talents. Dave served as the MSCA President and was a past School Counselor of the Year for MN. He was very proud of his most recent work to receive the RAMP recognition for Oakview Elementary from ASCA.
In his free time, Dave loved being with his family. He especially loved spending time together at the cabin, and he recently began fishing with his dad up there. Dave was also a huge Vikings fan; he never missed a game. Dave loved video games and was always an early adopter. Atari, Nintendo, Virtual Reality…he loved it all! Dave had a strong faith and was also active at SOLLC. Over the years Dave helped with his girls’ Sunday School and was an active member of the Living Water Group.
Dave was a loving and thoughtful man. He was always doing things for others. Dave wasn’t afraid of hard work, but he also knew how to have fun and enjoy life. Dave has left behind a wonderful legacy for his family. He will be remembered always by his wife, Karoline Warner; daughters, Maiya and Esme Warner; parents, David & Gloria Warner; brother, Joe (Naomie) Warner; niece & nephew, Adeline and Thatcher Warner; other loving relatives, friends, coworkers and students. Dave was greeted in Heaven by his grandparents.
Ballard-Sunder Funeral & Cremation proudly serves the Warner family. www.BallardSunderFuneral.com
