Dr. David Sontag Obituary

David Wesley Sontag, of Lake City, passed away Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at his home at The Bluffs in Lake City.
    A memorial service will be held on Friday, June 23, 11  a.m. at First Lutheran Church in Lake City.
    David was born in Lakefield, Minn. on June 21, 1926 to Harold and Kathleen Sontag. After graduating from Lakefield High School, he joined the U.S. Navy in 1944. He spent time at Farragut, Idaho, Seattle, Wash. and sailed to China.  He was discharged in 1946 at Great Lakes Naval Base. David enrolled in the University of Minnesota as a pre-med student and graduated from medical school in 1953. After completing his internship at Long Beach Veterans Hospital, he sought a small town general practice. While driving to pick up his future wife from a nursing rotation in Winona, David happened upon Lake Pepin and knew he’d like to settle in this area. In 1955, Dave joined the medical practice of Drs. Bailey and Flesche in Lake City. He dearly loved his medical office practice of 50 years in the communities of Lake City and Wabasha.
    David married Lucy Schwartz, a U of M nursing student on March 25, 1952. The lure of travel took them on a three month backpacking and hitchhiking tour of Europe and they maintained lifelong friendships in Germany, Austria and England. Later, memorable trips included Germany as the Berlin Wall came down, Vienna- where he visited people from his grandfather Bernhart Sontag’s Czechoslovakian village, Budapest, Scandinavia, Scotland, Mexico and Ireland. He also enjoyed trips with Lucy to China, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya and Indonesia. In the 90’s, Dave and Lucy returned to camping and explored Yosemite National Park by riding mules on the trails.
    David had a great love of wildlife, having grown up hunting duck and pheasant with family. That expanded when he later made trips to western states for antelope and elk, as well as pheasant hunting in Iowa. In his role in the community, David worked with the local Boy Scouts and served as a board member at First Lutheran Church. Dave was the last surviving charter member of Lake City Kiwanis. Dedicated to their projects and fundraisers, Dave was a fixture on the golf cart during Water Ski Days, selling pop at the parade.
    Family vacations for 31 years included two weeks spent at the St. Paul YMCA Camp Du Nord and in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area  for canoeing, camping, and simple woodland experiences. Dave’s activities with family included regular beach picnics, waterskiing, and hunting agates on Agate Beach. The couple also enjoyed local wildflowers and birds, cross-country skiing at Hok-Si-La City Park, and exploring the region’s bike trails.
    David is survived by his wife, Lucy, of Lake City; three sons, Hugh (Peggy) and Mark (Patti), Dean (Jenny); two daughters, Heidi (Tim Dorn) and Maria; 10 grandchildren, Nicholas and Andrew, Philip, Peter and Allison, Alexandra, Anthony and Caroline, and Gabriel and Lucy Rae; four great-grandchildren, Willow and Ezekiel and Evelyn and Lucy Grace; and a brother, Ben Sontag of Hastings. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Kathleen Sontag and his brother, Robert Sontag.
    Friends and family may visit from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, June 22 at Schleicher Funeral Homes, Lake City Chapel and one hour before the service at First Lutheran Church on June 23.
    Memorials are preferred to First Lutheran Church, Lake City Kiwanis Club, or a charity of your choice.
    Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Schleicher Funeral Homes, Lake City Chapel, in Lake City.  The guest register may be signed online at www.schleicherfuneralhomes.com.