This is the obituary I wrote for my dad. If you would like to view the service and the photo collages I made for the funeral, you may do that HERE.
Obituary for David Albert VanHatten 1939-2021
Have you ever known someone who wore the same self-constructed “uniform” every day for most of his life?
Have you ever known someone who wore a pocket protector with pens and colored highlighters for a majority of their life and called it a “nerd pack?”
Have you ever known someone who helped build the world’s first super computers?
Have you ever known someone who grew up on a farm and was equally at home driving a combine as writing computer code?
Have you ever known someone who constructed a majority of their furniture out of cardboard?
Have you ever known someone who put strawberries and ice cream on French toast and called it brunch?
Have you ever known someone who would go hunting and make “pheasant nuggets?”
Have you ever known someone who ordered burnt toast at a restaurant?
Have you ever know someone who loved McDonalds apple pies to the point of ordering several at a time to have on hand as midnight snacks?
Have you ever known someone who loved family reunions and considered them a favorite vacation?
Have you ever known someone who embraced the moniker Bagette Dad and handed out free bags for 13 years for the Green Bag Lady project until his last days on earth?
If you knew my dad, you knew someone who embodied all of these quirky things that truly made him one of a kind. He loved playing cards, he loved puzzles, he was proud of his career, he loved to tinker, he loved being Bagette Dad, he was a man of great faith who loved his family and friends with an unfettered fierceness we all felt deeply.
