David J. Hietpas

David Hietpas, 57, left this world on Wednesday, October 11, supported by his father and six siblings. Dave suffered a heart attack on August 4 and ultimately died of complications. “Brave Dave” was a humble, generous man who lived his Catholic faith every day and whose actions taught us the importance of faith, family, inclusion, acceptance, and integrity. A devout Catholic, Dave had a special devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Rosary. He showed that daily acts of kindness add up to enormous human impact. Dave grew up in St. Paul where he graduated from Cretin High School and the University of St. Thomas with a degree in Social Work. His passing leaves a gaping hole in a large, tight-knit family that includes his father, Quentin; brothers Tom (Sarah) and Paul (Tanya); and sisters Sara (Tom) Gavin, Susan (Jim) O’Neill, Margaret (Tom) Endres, and Ellen (Dan) Bettenburg. He was a treasured uncle and mentor to nieces Emily, Erin (Paul), Sara, Annie, Paige, Wini, and Grace; and nephews Ben, Matt (Mona), Dan, Joe, Michael, Ryan, Kevin, Quentin, Henry, and Jack; and great-nephew Oliver and great-niece Lucy. Dave also is survived by his Fleischhacker and Caswell cousins, his aunt Ramona Hietpas, uncles Richard Fleischhacker and Seldon Caswell, dear friends Diane Knight and Mark Walorski, and countless friends in the St. Paul Hispanic community. He was preceded in death by his fiancé Eleuteria Martinez; his beloved mother Sally; second mothers/aunts Mary Ann Fleischhacker and Gretchen Caswell; Uncle Paul Froehlich who benefited from Dave’s compassionate care for many years; grandparents Sara (“Nana”) and Paul (“Boppy”) Froehlich and Emma and Henry Hietpas; great-aunts Marian, Clara and Rose; Uncle Frank and members of the Flanagan clan. No words can express our gratitude and admiration for the highly-skilled, compassionate care he received at Abbott-Northwestern Hospital. Visitation Tuesday, October 17, 2017 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at O’Halloran and Murphy Funeral Home, 575 Snelling Avenue, St. Paul. Mass of Christian Burial on Wednesday, October 18 at 10:00 a.m., Lumen Christi Catholic Church, 2055 Bohland Avenue, St. Paul with visitation one hour prior to Mass. Private burial. In keeping with Dave’s commitment to serving those in need, memorials are preferred to Little Sisters of the Poor, St. Paul (http://www.littlesistersofthepoorstpaul.org/).

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