David “Hooper” Gruenwald Obituary

David “Hooper” Gruenwald, 61, of Ortonville, MN, passed away on Friday, August 22, 2025, at Ortonville Area Health Services in Ortonville. 

A Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, August 29, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Charles Catholic Church in Big Stone City, SD. Fr. John Helmueller will celebrate the Mass and inurnment will be at Mound Cemetery in Ortonville, MN. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the Mass of Friday. A luncheon will follow the service on Friday at the Big Stone Community Center.

The service will be livestreamed and recorded and will be viewable at the bottom of this page.

David Allen Gruenwald was born on November 2, 1963, in Ortonville, MN, to parents, Roger and Phyllis Gruenwald. He grew up in Big Stone City, SD, and was baptized and confirmed at St. Charles Catholic Church. He graduated from Ortonville High School in 1982 and was united in marriage to Dawnette Schnetzer on June 9, 1988.

David and Dawn built their lives in Ortonville. David began his career at Pepsi while in high school, where he remained for 15 years. In 1995, he began working for Frito-Lay. He turned this into a family affair, often having the kids color price tags, accompany him on routes, and help take inventory. After 14 years, he left Frito-Lay. Later, he found his true calling and favorite work as a farmhand for David “Whitey” Botker, where he enjoyed helping with planting, harvesting, and crop checking. He also took pride in being the unofficial neighborhood watch for North Minnesota Street.

David and Dawn had two children, Justin and Rachel. While he was quite mischievous in his younger years, becoming a father tempered his rowdy ways. He loved taking the family camping and snowmobiling. They also spent a lot of time at the “private pool,” even though he never learned how to swim. One lesson he instilled in his children was the importance of keeping a vehicle spotless and always carrying window cleaner and a rag for those pesky bugs. Their home was always full of pets, laughter, and love.

His most treasured title came when he became “Papa.” His grandchildren were the joy of his life. There was always a sparkle in his eyes when he was surrounded by them or telling stories about them. He was known for always having popsicles and ice cream ready, creating sweet memories that will never be forgotten. David was an avid sports fan; he loved watching NASCAR and cheering on any Minnesota sports team. Lasting family memories were made traveling to various NASCAR tracks across the country. David could make a friend wherever he went and hosted Sunday meetings in the garage. He also developed a love for cutting and stacking wood, making sure all the logs were evenly stacked to perfection. He enjoyed shopping for a good cut of meat and could sometimes be found sneaking into the back of the local grocery store if he didn’t see what he wanted on the shelf.

David was a giver. He was the first call for many, whether you needed help with a squeaky door, a flat tire, snow removal, or lawn mowing, he was there.

David is survived by his wife of 36 years, Dawnette; son, Justin (Jessica) Gruenwald; daughter, Rachel (Marcus) Moberg; grandchildren: Avery and Carter Gruenwald; Owen and Evelyn Moberg; mother, Phyllis Gruenwald; sisters: Linda (John) Hausauer; Shelly (Gary) Fredrichsen; mother-and father-in law: William and Janet Schnetzer; sisters-in-law: Jill Schnetzer and Linda Bear; brothers-in-law, Matt Schnezter and Jacob Schnetzer; uncle, Hank (Marge) Lubbesmeyer; many nieces, nephews, cousins, friends he considered family. David is preceded in death by his father, Roger Gruenwald; sister, LeAnn Taylor; brother-in-law, Terry Taylor; paternal grandparents: Reynold and Glenda Gruenwald; maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Lubbesmeyer-Bergseth; and a few very special friends.

The service will be livestreamed and recorded and will be viewable at the bottom of this page. Our mission is to deliver the highest quality shared video experience for visitors to our website. However, there may be instances when network issues arise, causing the livestream to be unavailable. In such cases, we are promptly alerted and work to resolve the problem. If we are unable to restore the livestream, a recorded version of the service will be made available for viewing at any time on our website.