David Unrau
July 21, 1938 - December 31, 2011
Obituary
David was born in Leamington, Ontario, Canada to David and Maria Unrau on July 21, 1938. He was the second of four children with siblings Don, John and Mary. Growing up on a farm, he developed and maintained a strong work ethic from a very young age.
Dave met his dear wife Patricia at the University of Guelph, Ontario. They wed December 22nd, 1962 and moved to Indiana, where Dave earned his Masters and PhD in Biochemistry at Purdue University. They had four children: Paul, who went to be with the Lord on January 3, 1993, Kimberley, Kathryn and Kerry.
The majority of Dave’s career was spent in New Jersey with ITT Rayonier and Johnson & Johnson, followed by a transfer to Federal Way with Weyerhaeuser, where he worked for 20 years. After retiring in 2008, he was contracted by The Boeing Company this past fall, working in Intellectual Property doing Patent Prosecution work.
Dave was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and friend. He was committed to his family and putting others ahead of himself. He was faithful and loyal and always optimistic about life and the future. Doing everything with excellence, Dave was always busy and never idle. He accomplished much in life, including completing the Seattle to Portland bike ride three times and passing the Patent Bar Exam. He served faithfully on the board at Corban University in Salem, OR.
He loved to spend time with his wife, children and grandchildren. He enjoyed the outdoors—working in the yard, chopping wood, biking, swimming, and walking. He was well known for his wit, intellect and servant’s heart. Dave will always be remembered for his faithful commitment to Christ and unwavering faith.
Dave is already greatly missed by his family, including his wife Pat; daughters Kim, Kathryn, and Kerry; son-in-law Mike; and grandchildren Anneka, Joseph, Marcus, Jared, Amelia, and Simon; siblings Don and Rita Unrau, John and Jane Unrau.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Corban University, 5000 Deer Park Drive SE Salem OR 97317, in memory of David Unrau.
David was one of the most godly men we have ever known. His love for the Lord, his family and all friends was evident in everything he did or said. He will be sincerely missed by all who knew him.
To Our Dear Pat,
We love you and will keep you in our prayers!!!
Dear Unrau family,
I was so sad to learn of the sudden passing of Mr. Unrau. I can still remember him very well – always thoughtful and patient. Even though I haven’t seen you in many years, my mother has kept me updated on your family, the accomplishments, marriages and grandchildren. My heart goes out to all of you and I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.
Sincerely,
Lauren Strannemar de Bruijn
Dear Unrau Family We were sincerely saddened to hear of Dave’s passing. He leaves behind a legacy of a wonderful family. Take comfort in knowing Dave is in a better place. God Bless You All.
Thomas Campbell wrote, “To live in the hearts we leave, is not to die.” Dave will always be part of our days as we share stories of so many of our great memories. The gracious greeter at our neighborhood gatherings, a set-up and take-down man at the Division 5 picnics, the caretaker of his wife, children, and grandchildren, the friend and supporter of Paul and his dreams, the curious and interested listener of other’s stories, the gentle and attentive friend, the determined cyclist, the loved and loving child of God, the knowledgeable and informative conversationalist of many topics, the kindest of men with the joyous smile and the most loving heart — these are just a few of the memories we treasure. Our good fortune was moving into The Ridge neighborhood and one of our blessings was having the Unraus become our friends. Dave will be missed yet NEVER forgotten.
Dave is already missed! What a great friend and client. He was always chatting about his family and love for them. I lost my father in 1997 and Dave was a great man to learn from.
He will never be forgotten.
My thoughts and prayers are with the entire Unrau family in this time of loss. Dave was one those rare individuals who really made a difference: whether it was professionally, in his community, as a family man, and most importantly, as a spiritual leader. He was one of those people i looked up to as a role model and was always kind, witty and caring.
My funniest Dave Unrau memory is when I was walking my big black dog Odie by his house and mentioned that Odie seemed to bark and be aggressive toward people of color – Dave quipped, “That’s odd, he’s a black fellow himself” in that witty way he had.
He will be missed!
I have wonderful thoughts of a lovely man, How lucky his family and friends are to have had him in their lives.
Yes, Mr. Unrau and his family were missed when they left NJ, sad to hear the lost for his family. I remember them very well and my heart and prayers goes out to them.
God Bless,
John-Marc Grob
Our heartfelt sympathy is with you and the girls, Pat, at this time of Dave’s passing. I first came to know Dave when I took him, Ed Tigelaar and Frank Bell under my wing, so to speak, in the Biochemistry Department at Purdue in 1961. Dave, and the others were fellow Canadians and we were all working on our M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Our families socialized as well, and I got to know and respect Dave very much. He was a hard worker and a very good student, and he had an extra hard apprenticeship under Major Professor Roy Whistler, who expected miracles out of his graduate students. Dave used to come and visit me in my lab every day when passing through. If I was not there, he would leave a message that read – 1/sweat = sweat -1. And sweat Dave did, but he persevered and obtained his doctorate, leading to a distinguished career translating his knowledge of chemistry into the intellectual property field known as the patent area after pursuing a law degree. Dave was a wonderful person who never became angry and always had a smile on his face. In addition, he was a great family man and father. Dave will be greatly missed by all of us.
Dave was a true inspiration for me. Our many conversations, he kept me spellbound with his knowledge and manner of relating inspirational thoughts.
I have few blessings in my life. One of these is the Unrau’s.
Thank you Dave for brightening and enhancing my life.