David C. Theophilus
June 13, 1941 - February 16, 2025
David C. Theophilus, age 83, of Fremont
Died unexpectedly Sunday, February 16, 2025 at Methodist Fremont Health
Dave was born to Don and Fran Theophilus on June 13, 1941, in Sioux City, Iowa. He spent several of his early years living at Fort Robinson, Nebraska during WWII because his father was stationed there during the war. Fort Robinson had a profound influence on his early childhood, and throughout the years he would often take his family there to visit. Several years back, he and his brother Don donated to the Fort Robinson museum a ''ship in a bottle'', which was made by one of the German prisoners of war. After the war, Dave grew up mostly in Norfolk, Nebraska where he was a good student and athlete, even though his mother once tried to convince a doctor he had ''tired blood.''
Despite the tired blood, he attended Wayne State College where he played football and met the love of his life, Karol Rasmussen. The first time Dave saw Karol in his speech class, he told his incredulous friends he was going to marry her --but it took him well over a year to even ask her out on a date. They were married for 60 years, and after all these years, he still had eyes only for Karol and could frequently be heard saying ''hubba hubba'' when he looked at her. Dave and Karol were married in August 1964. They first lived in Sioux City, Iowa, then Salt Lake City, Utah, where Dave received his meteorology degree.
He then began his beloved career as a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. They lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for a few years and then moved to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for 20 years. In 1990, they moved from Sioux Falls to Fremont, Nebraska when Dave became meteorologist in charge for the state of Nebraska. Dave spent a total of 26 years with NWS before he retired in 2003.
Dave was a man of many interests. He loved watching his kids and grandkids sporting events, band concerts and other activities and delighted in measuring and recording the grandkids heights on the back of the bathroom door. As a fourth generation Nebraskan, he was a lifelong Huskers fan, particularly the football and basketball teams. Throughout his life he was an active Ham Radio Operator, call sign W0NRW, which you could find on his vehicle license plates. He was also very active with the United Methodist Church and was a longtime volunteer with Friends of the Fremont Library, helping out with its annual book sale. Dave was known for his kindness, his willingness to take care of others, and his quirky sense of humor. He was also a fashion maverick and his outfits frequently featured pocket protectors, with a variety of pens, pencils and other useful gadgets.
Dave is survived by his wife Karol, his brother Don and his wife Anita, his son Matthew and wife Rebecca, their six children Ben, Anna, Charlie, Adie, Emily and Grace; daughter Nicole and husband Joel, and their five children, Madeline, Ethan, Sam, Owen and Stella and youngest daughter Suzanne. He is also survived by multiple brothers- and sisters-in-law, and many nieces and nephews. Dave was so loved by his family and friends and will be missed by so many.
The family asks that memorials in his honor be directed to the Wayne State College foundation.
Visitation will be Thursday, February 20, 2025 at the Ludvigsen Mortuary Chapel from 3pm to 7pm with the family present from 5pm to 7pm. The funeral will be 10:30, Friday at the Fremont First United Methodist Church.
Online guestbook at www.Ludvigsenmortuary.com
Livestream available through the church website:
https://www.fremontfirstumc.org/watch-church-online?sapurl=Lys1ZmpkL2xiL2xpLys4dGJ6eTZ6P2JyYW5kaW5nPXRydWUmZW1iZWQ9dHJ1ZSZyZWNlbnRSb3V0ZT1hcHAud2ViLWFwcC5saWJyYXJ5Lmxpc3QmcmVjZW50Um91dGVTbHVnPSUyQjh0Ynp5Nno=
A recording of the service will be uploaded following the service to Dave's page.
Obituary Provided By:
1249 E. 23rd St.
Fremont, NE 68025
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